


When the Lights Go Down

by drown-yourdarlings (lorcleis)



Category: Vampire Academy & Related Fandoms
Genre: All Human AU, F/M, Lissa is a Pop Star, Rose is her Security Guard, musician au, shooting tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-19 07:19:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3601209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorcleis/pseuds/drown-yourdarlings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This life never really bothered me, but sometimes I'd love to be able to just buy a bagel without my best friend being recognized."</p>
<p>Rose Hathaway is the personal guard of Vasilisa Dragomir, a popular singer and America’s sweetheart. After a recent attempt on Lissa’s life, Rose has to share her duties with a new set of guards, including a mysterious man named Dimitri Belikov. And Rose was never one for sharing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Accident

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying my hand for the first time at Vampire Academy fanfiction and starting off light with this all-human AU. For reference, Lissa and Rose are both 24 in this, Dimitri is 32, and all of the Dragomirs are alive. A big inspiration for Lissa's career was Taylor Swift, although all of the songs Lissa sings will be originals written by me. This should be a fun one to do so buckle up and enjoy the ride!
> 
> Posting schedule is once a week.

_Rose's Journal  
March 12th_

_I nearly didn't wake up today and neither did Lissa, but the thing that scared me more than anything was the latter. That Lissa would never open her eyes ever again. That Lissa would never breathe again. It twisted something deep inside of me, a little bit to the left of where the bullet had hit._

_I didn't know what to do. I was never prepared for anything like this. When I saw the sun flash off the barrel of the gun, when I heard that sickening bang. I hadn't even realized that I had stepped in front of her; it didn't register at all. I just knew I had to keep her safe. I don't know what happened next... there was a lot of shouting. Everything came at my ears at once like a tidal wave of sound. I'm pretty sure I got blood on Lissa's dress. That beautiful, beautiful dress. And when I saw a bloodstain spread across her stomach as well, that shocked look on her face...I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do._

_I still don't._

* * *

A hand held Rose down onto the hospital bed's scratchy blankets when she awoke, gasping for air and muttering one word over and over again.

"Lissa, Lissa, Lissa..."

She blinked, disoriented for a moment before catching her breath. Everything in the room was a faint shade of mint green with blinding fluorescent lighting to illuminate blinking and beeping medical equipment. Two uncomfortable-looking chairs upholstered with vinyl were shoved in a distant corner. The curtains, the ugly, garish curtains painted with yellow diamonds, were drawn. In all of the confusion the only thing that entered her mind was sarcastic.

_They must have a fabulous interior decorator._

There were tubes everywhere; in her nose, mouth, arm. For some reason she couldn't lift herself up for anything. The hand on her shoulder gripped her tightly as she struggled.

"Lissa, Lissa, Lissa..."

Rose followed the hand up to the face of a nurse with a chart in her hand and it took all of her brainpower to relax her muscles. Her breathing returned to normal but her eyes stayed wild, taking in everything that was going on. She couldn't remember what had happened, she just needed to see Lissa.

"You're some kind of hero, Miss Hathaway," the nurse said.

All of a sudden it came flooding back. The click of the gun as the bullet was loaded into the chamber, Lissa's gasp when the man jumped out in front of them, that horrible, terrible burning sensation. Rose fell to the ground on fire. All she could see was the colour red. On her shirt, on the ground, on Lissa. Oh god, what had happened to Lissa?

"Lissa," Rose said firmly. "I need to see Lissa."

"Miss Dragomir was attended to a few days ago. She should be visiting soon," replied the nurse. She flipped through the medical chart.

"A few...days? How long was I out for?" Rose attempted to sit up again but felt an intense pain in her stomach and groaned, leaning back down onto the hospital bed.

"Only since Tuesday," the nurse said. "But take it easy, alright? Not everyone can recover from a bullet wound that quickly, especially one to the stomach."

Rose nodded distractedly as her head began to feel dizzy. She slowly moved her hand to her stomach and found a large white bandage covering most of her right side. There was a small amount of blood beginning to bloom. Turns out she doesn't even need a maniac to kill her, she might just end up letting her own stupidity do that.

"Do you need anymore painkillers?" the nurse asked.

Rose managed to focus on her ID for a second and picked out her name. Annaliese. How pretty. She shook her head no. "If...if you said Lissa was taken care of a few days ago, does that mean...?"

Annaliese nodded. "She's fine, Miss Hathaway. The bullet barely grazed her. Matter of fact, it did most of it's damage on you. Went straight through the muscle on your right side and came out the other end. Didn't nick any arteries or hit major organs. You should consider yourself very lucky."

"Yeah," Rose turned to look straight ahead at the door on the other side of the room. "Lucky."

What was lucky was that Rose had even noticed the gun in the first place. What was lucky was that Lissa wasn't walking down the street alone. What was even more lucky was that Rose had been incapacitated so she couldn't smash that bastard's head into the ground until she could make meatloaf with it. To be frank, she didn't believe much in luck. It seemed like a weak way out.

"Would you like any food?" Annaliese asked as she finished making sure all of the machines were in order. "The regular mealtime has passed but I can bring you a bit of late lunch."

Rose's stomach grumbled, upsetting the wound on her side. "Uh, just a little bit. And no Jell-O," she added hastily. "Or, at least, none of the lime kind."

Annaliese smiled. "No lime Jell-O coming right up."

When she left, Rose quickly became bored. She fiddled with the controls on the bed, gliding up and down until she found the TV remote stashed between the mattress and the railing. She turned it on, the only channel with anything other than commercials being the regular news station. They were currently making their way through a weather report.

"High seventies all this week," Rose said to herself thoughtfully. "Huh. Nice."

She was pulled from the weather report when the door opened and in rushed a bouncing head of blonde hair.

"Rose!" Lissa shouted, launching herself at the hospital bed and wrapping her arms around Rose's neck. Her tall frame dwarfed Rose in the best way possible, allowing her to rest her forehead on Lissa's shoulder with minimal effort.

"Liss-" Rose tried to say, but Lissa just kept squeezing her tighter and tighter. She raise a weak hand and tapped Lissa's shoulder. Her voice was strained. "You can let go of me now."

"No," Lissa said with conviction. She gripped Rose with all of her strength. "I am never, ever letting you go again. You hear that?"

Rose chuckled. "Loud and clear, Liss."

Lissa let Rose go and leaned back, allowing herself to get a good look at her best friend for the first time since the shooting. Rose looked so pale and small in the hospital room, like the blankets were going to swallow her whole. Tears began to well in Lissa's eyes.

"I didn't know if you were going to wake up," she managed to choke out.

Rose could see the tears fall from Lissa's eyes, smudging her makeup as they went. Rose's lip began to tremble and she cracked a half-hearted smile. "Oh god, don't make me cry too."

Lissa laughed and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief from inside her purse.

"Come here," Rose said, motioning to the hospital bed. She moved over just enough so that Lissa would fit along her left side. Lissa obliged and climbed into bed with her.

It was nice to be next to each other again. Even though Rose had been mostly unconscious, she could feel Lissa's absence the entire time. They were like two halves of a whole. Rose glanced down at Lissa as she curled around her. They had been best friends forever, inseparable even, and they weren't about to stop; wherever Lissa went, Rose was sure to follow.

"Does it hurt?" Lissa asked softly, eyeing the bandage on Rose's right side.

Rose shrugged. "Can't even feel it."

Lissa slapped her on the shoulder lightly. "Liar!"

"Does yours?" Rose asked, indicating the graze the nurse had mentioned earlier.

Lissa mimicked Rose's shrug. "Can't even feel it," she said with a grin.

They both laughed, Lissa's tears a thing of the past. The TV had switched back from the weather report to a news story. A grainy image of Lissa's shocked face graced the screen along with a caption underneath that read "Songstress Struck in Shooting."

"God, could they pick less corny headlines?" Rose grumbled, shifting her weight off of the wound.

"It's not even true," Lissa said with a frown. Her forehead was drawn in deep concentration. "I was just grazed."

"After exiting a coffee shop in Beverly Hills, popular singer Vasilisa Dragomir was accosted by an overzealous fan and later shot at," the anchorwoman said in a level tone. "While the shooter is now in custody, the status of everyone's favourite pop princess is unknown."

Lissa's frown deepened. "It's been like this for a few days. No one even mentions that you took that bullet."

"Good," Rose replied. "They don't need to know who I am."

"But you saved me!" Lissa cried. "I think they should at least say who's in the hospital and who's not."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You know those publicity guys from the label are just milking it for everything they've got. You can make your big comeback next week at the Easter show. I bet the press will just eat it up."

"Oh yes," Lissa said sarcastically. "I can just see the headlines now. 'Lissa Dragomir Puts on a Brave Face in the Wake of Tragedy.' They'll all be oohing and aahing at my tiny scar."

"Not if you don't let them see it," Rose said. She drew Lissa closer to her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You'll be just fine, Liss. You always turn out on top."

Lissa nuzzled her head against Rose's shoulder. "No I don't. Not if you not there with me."

Rose didn't have a reply. She was sobered by Lissa's devotion to her. It was almost as if without each other, they would both just fall apart. It's hard to separate yourself from something that's so ingrained in you ever since you were a little kid and Lissa was Rose's something. The thought of leaving her on her own terrified her.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," Rose said. She patted Lissa's shoulder.

"And neither am I," Lissa replied.

They sat watching the news for another hour. It was story after story of various arrests and political opinions. The shooting cropped up twice: once in general filler news and another time in a short entertainment section. They couldn't stop wondering who would shoot someone like Lissa.

"But  _Vasilisa Dragomir_ ," one host on the entertainment news said. Her hair was defying gravity as she turned to her co-hosts in their small, stylishly-decorated studio. "If someone wants to shoot a person as sweet and wonderful as her, none of us are safe!"

"Ah, I wouldn't be so sure, Margaret," a second host stepped in. He was tall with slicked-back hair. "After that string of lovers, are you sure this is a random crime?"

The first host laughed lightly. "Good point, Rob. Could the shooter that targeted Vasilisa have been a past lover? Find out more after the break."

"Ugh," Lissa said, grabbing for the remote. "Turn that garbage off."

The media usually blew things out of proportion and Lissa's lovelife was a common target. It was hard for her to date in the first place since normal people always seem to want something from her that she wasn't willing to give but then celebrities could also be just as bad. She hadn't had a boyfriend in two years but her reputation as Hollywood's heartbreaker still followed her everywhere she went.

_Watch out boys, don't date Vasilisa Dragomir or she'll write a song about you,_  Rose thought sarcastically.

"You know what they're saying is the exact opposite of the truth, right?" Rose said with raised eyebrows.

Lissa sighed. "Yeah, I do. I just can't seem to make it go away no matter what I do. Maybe I should date a girl. That'd shut them up."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I don't think the world is quite ready for a bisexual Vasilisa. Give it a few years."

"Ooh, their heads would just explode," Lissa laughed. "But you're right. Then all of those mothers with picket signs would come after my concerts and call me a bad influence."

"Definitely." Rose smiled. "The girl who still sleeps with a stuffed rabbit is the worst influence of them all."

"You're going to get it for that comment, Rose Hathaway!" Lissa gasped in over-dramatic outrage. She barrelled down on Rose and began to tickle her everywhere except where the bandage was, fearing she'd accidentally hurt her.

"Oh god, oh god, I'm done," Rose shouted between gasps of air. She'd been laughing so hard that tears escaped the corners of her eyes.

"Say that 'Lissa is the coolest person on the planet,'" Lissa demanded with a wide grin. She poked Rose in the side again. "Say it, Rose!"

"Alright, alright," Rose held her hands up in defense. "Lissa is... the weirdest person on the planet."

"Bitch!" Lissa shrieked in indignation. She tortured Rose with tickling once more. "You horrid dork!"

Rose could barely speak from laughing. She tried to grasp at Lissa's hands but she was pinned down on the hospital bed too well. "It's true!"

Lissa was about to respond when the door to the hospital room opened and in walked three tall blonde people that made them both pause in their tracks. Rhea and Eric Dragomir, Lissa's parents, stood by the door with a disapproving look on their face whilst Lissa's older brother Andre smirked upon seeing Rose and Lissa.

"Are we interrupting something?" Eric asked. In his hand was a bouquet of flowers. Rhea held a teddy bear with a balloon tied to its paw.

Lissa immediately straightened and sat lightly on Rose's bed instead of pinning her down like she was previously doing.

"No, sir, Mr. Dragomir, sir," Rose said awkwardly. Her eyes flicked towards the wall and she stared intently at one tile until the embarrassment faded.

Eric cracked a smile and began laughing. "Rose, We're glad to see that you're alright. Here, these are for you, from the family."

Rose smiled and accepted the flowers from him. "Thank you. They're beautiful."

The Dragomirs had sort of adopted Rose ever since her mother sent her away to boarding school when she was eleven. Rose's mom had a high-profile security job that made her miss raising her own daughter and her father lived halfway across the globe, so when Rose managed to befriend the polite blonde in her class, they were glad to see she had at least one friend.

The Dragomirs lived nearby the boarding school and offered to house Rose during holidays, which led to her living with them every summer until she went to university. When Lissa skyrocketed to fame, she was able to go to every event with her and was invited on tour. Eventually Rose was just known as one of the family. Even though she tends to stick out like a sore thumb among the willowy blondes, the people on Lissa's team treated her like a Dragomir. Later, her father became Lissa's head of security and hired Rose as Lissa's personal guard fresh out of university. They've been working together ever since.

"We just wish we could do more to speed everything up," Rhea said. She took one of the chairs from the corner and set it next to Rose's bed. "This is such a terrible thing to have happened, Rose."

Rose nodded. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine."

Rhea smiled softly and stroked Rose's hair. "You always are."

Rose looked up at Rhea and Eric with an anxious expression. "They caught the guy, right? Like, I mean, he's definitely going to jail for this, yeah?"

"He's in custody, if that's what you mean," Andre told her. He ran a hand through his bright platinum blond hair and Rose bit her lip. She'd always had a bit of a crush on Andre when she was younger and it had recently faded into somewhat of a sisterly affection.

"No, I mean he's seen a judge and the judge personally put a ball and chain on him," Rose said with vitriol.

"Relax, Rose," Lissa said calmly. "Nothing has been decided yet. It's only been a few days. They've set bail for him pretty high, though, so I don't think he's going to get out any time soon."

Rose relaxed and laid her head back down on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "Good. Good. That's what should happen." She paused, finding Lissa's hand and squeezing it. "You know this means we're going to have to testify, right?"

Lissa nodded reluctantly. She flashed a small, restrained smile. "I do. I'm no stranger to the spotlight."

"Let's just hope this blows over quickly," Eric told the girls. "The sooner the better."

* * *

Rose was discharged the next week and given a wheelchair to use for a month or until she could prove that she could walk without letting the wound open up again. It was a struggle to get her to even agree to be wheeled around the hospital in it, but Lissa managed to convince her that it would be fun to race each other in them down the hallway back at the house. Truthfully, Rose couldn't wait to be back in normal clothing for once. Hospital gowns were a type of cruel and unusual punishment.

"I can do it on my own," Rose insisted as Lissa tried to wheel her up the front walk to her father Abe Mazur's house. He had invited them to brunch to check up on how they were doing. She'd like to think that he was concerned for her well-being but there was always an ulterior motive.

"No, the doctor told you that you shouldn't engage your core because it would delay the healing," Lissa pointed out as she pried Rose's hands off of the wheels and instead pushed her up to the gleaming glass door and pressed the doorbell.

Rose had always wondered what her father really did for a living. The head of security for Lissa was just one of many jobs he held in America and in his native country of Turkey and the house showed it. The entire structure was beautiful: it perched on the top of a cliff in front of the seashore and was made of clear glass with bright beams of steel intermingled with wood. It looked like something that belonged in an IKEA designer's wet dreams, but the inside was the complete opposite. Lavish was Abe's middle name, from the brightly patterned curtains to the silk upholstered loveseats. His attire was no different: he was usually draped in any number of scarves over a custom suit with gold jewelry adorning his ears, neck, and fingers.

"Hello girls," Abe said as he opened the doors. He quirked an eyebrow at Rose. "Still trying to find your sea legs,  _kiz_?"

Rose stuck her tongue out at him. "You wish, old man. I could still take you even in a wheelchair."

He chuckled lightly. "I'll take that into consideration." Abe reached his hand out and brought Lissa into a hug. "Always lovely to see you, Miss Dragomir. I hope you're not too shaken."

Lissa smiled, charmed by Abe as everyone usually was. "The spirits are still high, Mr Mazur. The doctors are saying Rose is recovering faster than ever."

"What fortunate news," Abe said as he winked at Rose. He stepped aside and waved them inside. "Come in, come in."

Gripping the handles on the wheelchair, Lissa brought Rose into Abe's foyer. She put the parking brake on the wheelchair and leaned down to pat Rose on the forehead. Rose bristled at Lissa's show of affection in front of her father.

"Well, I'll come by to pick you up later," Lissa said as she backed away from the foyer with a wave.

"Wait, you're not staying?" Rose attempted to turn the wheelchair but couldn't move because of the brake.

"No, I've got an interview to get to this morning, but I'll catch you afterwards, okay?" Lissa didn't seemed concerned even though she was practically throwing her best friend to the shark known as Abe Mazur.

"Lissa!" Rose shouted after her, but she had already left the house. She watched Lissa's car drive away with a sinking feeling in her gut. Rose heard a click behind her as the brake was lifted and Abe began to wheel her out onto his back deck.

"Why don't we get to brunch?" he said mildly.

A table had been set up on the dark red wood with the tablecloth moving slightly in the breeze coming off of the ocean. There was a complete spread setup along the table and three places set, leading Rose to believe that Lissa was originally supposed to join them for the meal. That is, if someone hadn't already been sitting in her seat.

The stranger was tall; even in his chair he towered over Rose a good foot or so. The muscles in his arms and neck were amazingly large and he had to be some sort of linebacker or professional wrestler with guns like that. Dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and highlighted a face that was stern and would have belonged better in a museum of marble statues.

"Rose," Abe said and he positioned her at the table. "Meet Dimitri Belikov, Lissa's new personal guard."

Rose's head whipped sharply to the left to look at her father. " _What?_ "


	2. Comrade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big, wonderful shoutout to my beta reader, Sage Meryllis Banks, for looking over this chapter for me. She is amazing and you should all go read her fics.

"He's  _what_?"

The pitch of Rose's voice grew higher as she talked, her head swiveling from the newcomer to her father. They were sitting at opposite ends of the table and it was giving her neck quite the workout.

 _How dare he_? Rose fumed. After years and years of work as Lissa's personal security guard, she was just going to be shoved aside for some stranger? And by her own  _father_?

"He is Vasilisa's new personal guard," Abe said calmly. His hands were clasped on his lap.

"No, no, no," Rose replied, wagging a finger at Abe. "I'm Lissa's personal guard. Have been, always will be. He's not even on the official team. Are you going to let a stranger go near her? Do you really think that's a  _good_  idea?"

Rose's tone became more urgent and unhinged as she continued speaking. Dimitri only stared at the two of them and didn't say a word. She took his silence as agreement to her point, but his expression was completely unreadable. It was even worse that he was so goddamn  _pretty_. She could deal with someone normal, but a god descended from the heavens would easily knock her out of left field.

"Dimitri Belikov is a highly trained individual that I've had under my employment for years,  _kiz_ ," Abe told her as he poured her a glass of orange juice. "But since Vasilisa has been threatened, she's become top priority."

"Oh, highly trained?" Rose scoffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Abe sullenly. "In what? Statue impersonations?"

"In a variety of martial arts and law enforcement procedures," Dimitri spoke from the other side of the table. The voice came as a surprise to her, the sound guttural. He was Russian. Dimitri accepted a glass of orange juice poured for him by Abe and drank. Rose thought he nearly smiled at her when the glass met his lips.

"See?" Abe said, gesturing to Dimitri. "And what qualifications do you have, Rose?"

Shut up," Rose replied. "I've been protecting Lissa ever since we were kids; it's only natural for us. I know how she works, where she goes, who likes to follow her..." She trailed off and made an "and so on" hand gesture.

"You're incapacitated," Abe said, nodding towards her wheelchair. "You couldn't protect Lissa if someone else decided to shoot her."

"Hell yeah I could," Rose said competitively. "I took one bullet for the bitch, I'll take another. We're sisters."

"Then of course you wouldn't mind if you were to, say,  _share_  the duties of looking after Lissa." Abe leaned back in his chair and observed Rose as her expression went from angry to shocked.

" _Share?_ " Rose said in disbelief. "You must be kidding me, old man. If I wasn't in this stupid wheelchair I swear you would be down and out for the count."

"A wonderful notion, no doubt," Abe replied coolly. "But until that bandage comes off, Dimitri will be looking after Lissa. There's no negotiating this." He placed a croissant on Rose's plate. "Here, have something to eat."

Rose drilled daggers into the croissant with her gaze, determined not to eat it just to spite her father, but the grumbling of her stomach had other ideas. She picked it up and tore off a section with more aggression than necessary.

"If I'm causing problems, I can-" Dimitri began with an earnest look on his face.

"No," Abe said, cutting him off. His phone began to ring and he checked the caller ID. "I have to take this. In the meantime, don't kill each other."

Abe stood and left the deck, answering his phone in the sharp tones of Turkish. Rose could only make out around half of what he was saying until he turned the corner and was out of hearing range. She returned her gaze to her croissant, glowering, and ripped off another piece. The silence stretched between them.

"So..." Rose said eventually as she finished the pastry. She wanted another one but Dimitri's plate stood empty and it felt disrespectful to eat while he didn't. "Dimitri, huh?"

"That does happen to be my name," he replied. She could detect a hint of teasing in his voice. "Rose, huh?"

Rose's mouth suddenly went dry as he spoke to her; she could barely find the brainpower to form a good comeback because all of her remaining cells were focused on not being slack-jawed at his beauty. It was almost ridiculous how symmetrical his face was and how well-kept his ponytail appeared to be. Judging from his shirt he seemed to have the best set of washboard abs in the world.

 _Do human beings like this really exist or was he made in a lab?_ Rose thought absentmindedly.

She recovered quickly, grabbing the plate full of croissants and shoving it his way. "Croissant?"

"No, thank you," Dimitri replied politely. "I'm allergic."

"Oh, yeah, celiac's a bitch," Rose said. She pulled the croissant plate back and grabbed one for herself. "A girl in my dorm had it and she could barely eat anything the dining hall churned out."

Dimitri waiting before speaking, observing Rose with an odd, overly analytical way. "Do you always talk like that?"

Rose was caught off-guard. She had half of a croissant in her mouth and was beginning to believe that she royally sucked at first impressions. "Like what?"

The click of Abe opening the door interrupted what Dimitri was going to say. Instead, he reached for a piece of fruit from the plate in front of him. Abe sat down in his seat and placed his phone back in his breast pocket behind a brightly-colored silk pocket square. He looked between the two other occupants of the table with a quizzical glance: Rose, who had the last half of her croissant dangling from her lips and a confused expression on her face and Dimitri, who was eating slices of pineapple while trying to suppress his laughter at her.

"Okay then," Abe said underneath his breath. This was going to be one weird brunch.

* * *

 

_**Rose's Journal** _

_April 4th_

_I have just met the most infuriating, the most apathetic, and the most boring man on the planet- and he is the one who is going to replace my job. Daddy dearest didn't see me fit to be working for Lissa anymore, at least not until the gigantic hole in my abs decides to heal itself. I'm put on door duty. Door duty. It's as if my entire career has been put on hold and now I get to pal around with the rabid fans that wait by the side entrance door with signs and stuffed animals. Even worse are the words "leave of absence." I took a bullet for the girl, the least he could do is give me my job back._

_No, he had to saddle me with the Comrade. A six foot-seven inch muscle monstrosity that makes every shirt he wears look like it's going to burst if he even deigns to flex a pec. Dimitri. Dimitri Belikov. What is he, a Soviet spy? The Winter Soldier? To top it off he has some Russian accent. Nice try, bucko, you're not fooling anyone. I learned how to do a Russian accent too, but it was when I was twelve and that was by watching too much Star Trek._

_Dimitri doesn't smile and he rarely talks. All he does is stare. I swear the boy could drill holes through my head if he turned those phasers off of "stun". Speaking of which, he's gorgeous. Model-level. I nearly called him Adonis over a plate of eggs. Whenever Abe would say something to him, he'd respond politely but not move the conversation forwards. It's like he's a robot. I bet he doesn't even sleep; he just plugs himself in at night and watches reruns of Seinfeld._

* * *

 

"Do you think he's ever killed a man?" Rose asked Lissa over a plate of macaroni and cheese. She picked at it intermittently as her thoughts swirled around one subject only. Dimitri Belikov.

They were situated on bright blue couch cushions on the floor of the apartment they shared together. The TV was set at a low volume as background noise while they ate dinner at a wooden coffee table. Lissa preferred to live somewhere smaller so she could be closer to the city center and had invited Rose to stay with her when both of them had graduated high school. Rose would like to say they shared the apartment equally, but in true Lissa fashion, she rarely let her best friend pay for anything regarding their home.

"Oh my god, are you still thinking about the new security guard?" Lissa asked through a spoonful of pasta. She covered her mouth as she chewed, ever the polite one of the duo.

"Or maybe he just tells other people to kill his enemies for him," Rose continued, unperturbed by Lissa's interjections. The theories were becoming too outlandish at this point. She whipped her head to the side. "What do you think, Liss?"

Lissa smothered her laughter in time to swallow a bite of macaroni. "Alright, I'll bite. I bet he..." She thought for a moment. "Has a wonderful relationship with his mother."

" _Lissa_ ," Rose sent her a sharp look. "You know what I meant."

"What?" Lissa shot back. "He could be really close to her. That would make his people skills better."

"Okay, how about this..." Rose tapped her finger to her chin. "I bet he always rips his shirts because of his massive muscles."

"He probably collects model airplanes," Lissa said, getting into the game.

"Or something equally weird. Like toy guns."

"He hates mustard."

"His favourite show is Nikita."

"He's boxers, not briefs."

"And he's a top. Definitely a top," Rose said.

"Oh, gross!" Lissa exclaimed. "Why a top?"

Rose dug in her back pocket and brought up a picture of him on her phone. "See?"

Lissa looked over Rose's shoulder and chewed on her lip. "Hmm. He could be a really nice bottom too, you never know." She paused, snatching the phone from Rose's hands. "Wait, when did you take a picture of him?"

Rose shrugged. "During brunch. I had to be quick; that guy senses everything."

"Seems like you have a bit of a crush," Lissa said with a smile as she tossed the phone back to Rose.

"No. No way," Rose shook her head with a laugh. "He's weird as shit, Liss. I think he's a robot."

"A beautiful robot," Lissa said with a dreamy sigh. "Abe chose quite the hottie to replace you."

"Ooh, really?" A mischievous expression slipped onto Rose's face. "Are you going to write a song about him?"

"Rose!" Lissa shouted indignantly.

"Please, please do it," Rose begged. "It would be so hilarious."

"I don't write songs about any of the people that work with me," Lissa replied. She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. "It makes work feel strange."

"You wrote a song about me," Rose said, smiling smugly. She returned her attention to her macaroni and cheese.

"Two, actually," Lissa said.

"A new one?" Rose's head shot up. "Miss Dragomir, you've been holding out on me!"

Lissa laughed softly. "It's just for the new album. You were the inspiration, not necessarily the topic."

"Good enough," Rose said as she ate a heaping bite of food. "I'm always up for being a muse."

"A best friend is always a good source of inspiration," Lissa said. She scraped the bottom of her bowl as she finished her meal.

"Yeah, keep spouting wisdom like that and you'll have five new albums, guaranteed," Rose grinned.

* * *

 

_**Rose's Journal** _

_April 7th_

_My stomach still hurts like a bitch. A molten lava bitch made of acid and those little razors in meat grinders made to tenderize the shit out of things like veal and other small, helpless animals. I tried to walk to the fridge this morning while Lissa went to a photoshoot for some magazine and fell on the ground. Andre found me when he knocked on the door five minutes later and helped me back into my wheelchair, which was a trip and a half (pun not intended). Ever since he started dating that new girl he's been so nice to Lissa and me. Very unlike the normal Andre that teases us at every turn. He even asked me if I was okay and he didn't smile smugly once. Is it spontaneously Be-Nice-to-Rose Day or something? If it is, Abe obviously didn't get the memo._

_To top it all off, they'd run out of all the freshly baked, still-hot donuts at Krispy Kreme. The universe will just not let up today. But tomorrow, that's when the really terrible shit begins. I'll be going to Lissa's concert as a civilian. No job, no fun, just sitting on a couch in the green room because Lissa thinks the loud noise of the concert will 'upset the wound.' It doesn't matter, though. All I'll get to really do is watch Dimitri do my job. God give me the strength to smite him down._

* * *

 

Rose could finally walk on crutches and nothing made her happier. Goodbye, terrible wheelchair, hello slightly less terrible sticks of death. After just one day on them her arms ached almost as much as her stomach did without the pain medication, but it was something she'd have to endure. She and Lissa had made a fun afternoon of covering them in black duct tape so they would be slightly harder to see backstage. Of course, Lissa wasn't allowing her to be on duty at all, not until she could at least  _walk_  properly, but Rose hadn't missed a single one of Lissa's shows ever since she started singing in the talent show when they were eleven years old.

Lissa and Rose arrived at the venue a few hours before the concert was set to happen, as per their usual schedule. Lissa hadn't even met Dimitri yet, today was his first scheduled night, and a different security guard that was accompanying them around the venue this afternoon. Mason was a good friend of Rose's from college and he'd bounced around at various jobs after graduation before Rose suggested he apply to work one summer as security for a tour. Mason worked well with the rest of the team and was hired full-time. Why Abe didn't choose him to protect Lissa was a question Rose had swirling around in her mind.

 _There's something about Dimitri_ , Rose thought. He was special to Abe for some reason. He'd mentioned that Dimitri did other jobs for him, but not what they were. The hitman option was still unconfirmed as of late, but there was a niggling feeling in the back of her brain that told Rose what he used to do might be something on par with that idea.

"Mason!" Lissa engulfed him in a hug when he opened the side door to the venue. "I'm so glad to have you be on my personal team again."

"The pleasure is all mine, Liss," Mason said with a laugh and a nod of his head. When Lissa entered the building he reached over to ruffle Rose's hair. "Good to see you too, Million Dollar Baby. How are you doing?"

Rose ducked out of his grasp before he could do it again but kept a small smile on her face. "I wish I could have Million Dollar Babied that bastard's face right into the ground."

Mason grinned. "Good to have you back, Rose."

They both entered the venue and Mason walked ahead to keep up with Lissa. It felt strange to Rose to be backstage and not have her normal security uniform on. It felt like she was just a visitor in a place she'd felt at home in. Venues may have changed, but the job stayed the same.

"I'm going to go to my dressing room, Rose," Lissa told her, kissing her on both cheeks before she hurried down the hallway. "Don't wait up!"

Rose waved at Lissa's retreating form and continued down the hallway until she saw the sign for the green room. The green room was a magical place full of wonder, food, and sometimes insanely comfy couches. Not a single one that Rose had been in across the country had actually been painted green, but she figured it was probably a thing people did back in the day.

Even better than a green room were the riders. When high-profile (or even low-profile) performers went to a venue, the people that managed the venue usually gave them a rider. This meant that the artist could choose to have whatever type of food or strange request ready for them when they arrived to do their show and so they could relax before and after. Rose had heard horror stories of picky artists that had made strange requests like live goats and raspberries chilled to a very specific temperature but that never happened here. Lissa was relatively low-key and asked for food she knew her team liked since they would be hanging out backstage the most.

Rose made a beeline to the food and grabbed a handful of carrots before hobbling over to the couch and sitting down. Her crutches were laid next to her. In her haste she didn't notice that someone else was in the room until she glanced at the corner by the door.

Dimitri.

She watched him as she ate her carrots. He was standing very still and reading something on his phone. Most likely emails or a message from someone, but it must have been very long because after a few minutes of straight reading he was still scrolling down.

"She doesn't like pistachios," Rose said plainly. She wasn't exactly sure where that came from, but her protective instincts over Lissa were beginning to get the best of her as the trade of jobs neared.

Dimitri paused what he was doing and looked at her, startled. "I, uh-?"

"If you're going to be around Lissa, you should know she doesn't like pistachios," Rose repeated. "She's not allergic, just don't eat them around her."

"No pistachios. Got it." He nodded firmly.

"And she also loves M&Ms, but only the peanut kind and not the brown ones," Rose said. Dimitri gave her a blank look. "The brown ones don't taste right."

"Ah," he attempted to look like he understood what Rose was talking about. She could tell what he was thinking: the amount of specifics were beginning to pile up. How high maintenance was this girl?

"Make sure the only person to enter her room is her personal assistant, Mia. No boyfriends, no family members until the show ends. She can meet them out in the green room if necessary and do not give her any of the gifts they bring," Rose continued. "We don't need a repeat of the '13 NannyCam incident."

He seemed to process the information and returned a stone-cold look of preparedness. "Anything else?"

"Prep the miniature horses by nine," Rose replied. "She likes to pet them before going on stage. It de-stresses her."

Dimitri looked like he had been shoved off-kilter, like he had suddenly realized what he was about to be getting into. Bless him.

Rose cracked a smile. "Just kidding. The miniature horses are all mine."

He didn't laugh, but Rose thought she could see a twinkle of something in his eye. Jesus Christ, did this guy show any sort of happiness? It had taken a long-winded explanation of why Robin could not possibly be the mother at brunch to even get the guy to show her anything besides a blank slate, and it was only annoyance at that. She guessed that he was probably a bit better at the whole security thing than she was, but did he have to play the part so well? Rose knew Lissa,  _truly_  knew her, and that's why she was so good at protecting her. God knows where her father managed to find this hunk of cold, Russian marble.

"Anyway, I'm off to  _not_  do my job and to  _not_  get paid and also to  _not_  see my best friend," Rose said with a touch of exasperation. She stood from her chair and let out a low whistle in pain, trying not to grimace when her stomach fought back.

"Do you need any help?" Dimitri reached out to steady her arm but Rose pushed him away.

"I'm fine." She leaned down to grab her crutches, her stomach aching every second.

Dimitri didn't step back. "Are you sure? I could-"

"I said," Rose looked at him with a sharp stare, a hint of malice seeping into her words. "I'm  _fine_."

He stepped away, clasping his hands behind his back. "Whatever you say, Miss Mazur."

Rose walked slowly from the room. Her expression was sour. "It's Hathaway, Belikov. Rose Hathaway."

* * *

 

It turned out that hanging around out by door duty with Mason was much more fun that staying in the green room with the frigid Dimitri, even though the fans annoyed her half to death. There was a metal railing bolted into place that cleared enough space so that the fans couldn't access the side door the performers usually came out from, but that didn't stop them from pressing up against it hours before the show. Sometimes people who didn't get tickets in time would come for the chance to catch a glimpse of Lissa as she was leaving. If Lissa had enough time to stop and talk to each of them personally, she would do so in a heartbeat regardless of how tired she was, but they only had the venue for so long and she needed to get home. It was something that used to torment her in the early days of fame, but she'd come to accept that she couldn't please everyone.

"Huh, it feels nicer out here," Rose said, tilting her head up towards the rapidly fading sunlight. "Warmer."

"What are you talking about?" Mason shot her a confused glance. He was clad in a windbreaker because even though it was early April, the temperatures still dropped drastically at night.

"Oh, nothing," Rose waved it off. She thought back to the stone cold demeanor of Dimitri and shivered.

"I know you didn't come out here just to see my pretty face," Mason said as he brushed hair out of his eyes. A few red strands blew back down over his face, buffeted by the wind. "What's up?"

" _Nothing_ ," Rose insisted. She picked at a thread on her jeans.

"You don't like the new guy," he said lightly. "You hate him."

Rose sighed. "Hate is a very strong word here."

"Aha, so it  _is_  about Lissa's new guard."

"I'm Lissa's guard," Rose shot back. "He's just temporary."

"You shouldn't be so possessive all of the time, Rose," Mason said. He smiled a tiny, smug smiled and clasped his hands in front of him. "It'll bite you in the ass someday. Someday like today, for instance."

"Oh shut up," Rose said, rolling her eyes at him. "It's perfectly fine. Once this bandage goes away Lissa is all mine again and everything in the universe will be back in order as it should be."

"If you say so." Mason looked at his watch. "You should probably go wish that best friend of yours to break a leg before the opener goes onstage. Don't want to waste time letting your replacement give her that pre-show hug, yeah?"

Rose knew he was teasing her but she turned on the spot, opening the side door with a scowl. She leaned back to look him in the eye with a deadpan tone. "You're a terrible person, you know that?"

Mason smiled at her. "I do."

The door closed shut behind her as she reentered the venue once more. It was slow going on the crutches but she was prepared. The hallway in the stadium was so long that by the time she passed the green room she needed a short break.

 _Being sick is brutal_ , Rose thought to herself as she let herself lean up against the cool cement walls of the backstage hallway. After a few minutes she hoisted her crutches up and started down the hallway again.  _But you've got to keep going_.

The opening act had just gone on when she reached Lissa's dressing room all the way at the end of the hall. No matter how many times she saw it, Rose would never tire of having 'Vasilisa Dragomir' taped to the main dressing room door. It reminded her of the best thing in her life.

Dimitri stood outside of the room, his head nearly brushing the low ceiling. While Rose definitely didn't like him, she couldn't begrudge the fact that he did seem to be doing his job. She approached the door.

"I need to talk to Lissa," Rose said as she craned her neck upwards to speak to him.

Dimitri paused before speaking. "I've been instructed to not let anyone into the dressing room under any circumstances."

 _Bastard_. It was at this point that Rose knew he wasn't a robot. Needless teasing just wasn't in their programming.

"I'm authorized personnel," Rose replied.

"May I see your badge then, Miss Hathaway?" Dimitri raised an eyebrow at her.

Rose was about to answer him but thought the better of it and closed her mouth. She leaned up against the wall to the left and stared at him. "I'll just wait until she comes out."

No sooner did she need to speak than was the door to Lissa's dressing room opened and out stepped Mia, Lissa's assistant. A clever girl with cropped blonde hair, Mia was an intern a few years ago until Lissa's old assistant left to pursue law school. She was sweet and a good acquaintance, but Rose didn't know her very well.

"Oh, hi Rose!" Mia said with a wave. She had a clipboard in one hand and a bluetooth in one ear. "Nice to see you up and about. I like your... crutches."

Rose looked down at the crutches, the dark color reflecting little of the backstage lights. "Thanks. I made them black to represent the inner darkness of my soul."

Mia looked a bit offset. "Uh, well-"

"No worries," Rose said cheerfully. "I just hated the color they came in. Good to see you too, Mia."

"Well, I have to go get things ready, but I'll see you later." Mia patted Rose on the shoulder as she went by.

From inside the dressing room there came a shout. Both Rose and Dimitri sprung into action, him being a bit quicker than she was. The door opened to find Lissa tangled up in the dress she was preparing to wear for the first few songs. It had gotten caught around her shoulders and she'd tripped on a chair to her right. Lissa was flopping about like a fish as she tried to wriggle out of the dress.

"Can someone help me please?" Lissa asked plaintively.

Rose burst out laughing, but it was Dimitri that went over and picked Lissa up, helping her to put the dress on properly. Lissa glowered at Rose when she had the costume on.

"What a big help you are," she said with sarcasm as Rose continued to die laughing in the doorway.

"Oh my god, but really-" Rose gasped for air. She clutched at her stomach. "I should have taken a picture. That was the funniest thing I've seen all year."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "At least I had my wonderful new guard to help me." She looked up at Dimitri.

"Do you require anything else, Miss Dragomir?" Dimitri asked. He seemed unperturbed by the scene that had unfolded.

"No, thank you Dimitri," Lissa replied with a batt of her eyelashes. He left without another word, closing the door behind him.

"Woah, what was that?" Rose asked as she sat down in a chair next to Lissa.

"What was what?" Lissa said innocently. "He's pretty and he's temporary."

"He also works for my father, Liss," Rose said. "That's a very off-limits fish you're looking to catch."

"Not  _catch_ ," Lissa insisted. "Simply to have around. He's a nice person and he looks nice. Anything wrong with that?"

Rose sat back in her chair. No, there technically wasn't, but something about the whole situation didn't feel right to her. It was almost as if that possessiveness was rearing its ugly head again, but she wasn't sure if it was for her job or for Lissa.

"Anyway, ready for the show tonight?" Rose asked.

"As I'll ever be," Lissa said with a grin as she finished applying another coat of lip gloss. She stood and held a hand out to Rose. "Shall we?"

They exited the room and Rose, along with Dimitri, followed her to the side of the stage where the opening act was just beginning to finish their set. It would be fifteen minutes before Lissa would go on and the tech team began to fit her with a microphone.

They had a ritual they did every show no matter what right before Lissa was about to go on. It had started when they were both fifteen and they'd snuck out of her parent's house so Lissa could perform at an open mic night down at a local bar. The words would be etched in Rose's mind forever.

"Repeat after me," Rose said, grasping both of Lissa's hands in her right as she leaned on her crutch with her left. "Someday Hollywood will come knocking,"

Lissa laughed and squeezed Rose's hand. She would be lying if she didn't say the words always perked her up a bit. "Someday Hollywood will come knocking."

"Then Aaron Drozdov will eat my dust." Rose said.

Lissa always tended to crack up at that line. When Rose had made it up Aaron had just broken up with her and she nearly didn't perform. "Then Aaron Drozdov will eat my dust."

"Because I am the best singer on the scene."

"Because I am the best singer on the scene."

"I can sing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows," Rose said.

Lissa parrotted it back. "I can sing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows."

"And I love my best friend Rose," Rose said with a wink.

Lissa chuckled. "And I love my best friend Rose."

Rose gave Lissa's hand another squeeze, their corny pre-show ritual over and looked her in the eye. "Go get 'em, tiger."

The lights went down, the opening strains of her song "All the Stars" came through the speakers and when Lissa stepped out onto that stage the roar of the crowd was positively deafening.

"Hello Los Angeles!" Lissa said through her roar finally quieted down at the point where Lissa was supposed to begin singing. " _He met her sitting at the bar down on the East Side. Brought his car around, asked her if she wants a ride_."

Dimitri walked up and stood next to Rose and they both looked out at Lissa waving to the crowd. There was something special about Lissa being onstage; it was as if a light switch flipped inside her and she became this big, bright ball of energy that had a smile for everyone in the audience.

"Vasilisa," Dimitri said in Rose's ear. "I listened to her during soundcheck. She's very talented."

Rose glanced at Lissa out onstage and then back at Dimitri. In the glow of the diffused stage lights he looked softer somehow; less like a statue and more like a human being. There was open and honest curiosity on his face about Lissa's singing abilities. She realized it was his first time hearing her sing.

"Yeah," Rose said. She couldn't take her eyes off of Dimitri. "She is."

In that moment, Rose knew. She was a goner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! For extra content like cover art for Lissa's singles and tour posters, go visit my tumblr at drown-yourdarlings.


	3. Electric Touch

"Can I get a coke, please?" Rose asked the bartender. She wasn't advised to have any alcohol while she was still recovering and to be completely honest, she wasn't in the best shape to be partying at all.

The record company had rented out a club for a post-production party to signify the end of Lissa's spring season and to announce her dates for the summer tour. It was always an exciting time when she was in between tours because it meant more free time at home. Well, more free time of Rose watching Lissa scribble lyrics on pieces of paper before wadding them up into balls and launching them at the trashcan. Without concerts to work, Rose also got to train more. She had reached a black belt in taekwondo when she was younger, but she was still training in a variety of other disciplines.

The bartender brought her the drink and placed two straws in the dark glass. Rose nodded her thanks, slipping him some cash, and took the drink over to an empty couch nearby. She could spot Lissa talking to a few Hollywood bigwigs over by the entryway.

"Want some company?" A voice asked her. When the figure moved to sit next to her, she realized who it was.

Jesse Zeklos, colossal prick.

"No," Rose said bluntly. She and Jesse had dated for a while two years ago but had a messy, complicated breakup after she caught him with someone else in his apartment. They were on the exact opposite of good terms, but Jesse just didn't seem to get the hint.

"Oh, you don't mean that, Rose," he said with a slow smile. He leaned in close to her; the condensation from his gin and tonic dripped onto her jeans.

"No, I'm pretty sure I do." Rose put her hand up as a barrier between them to stop him from progressing things any further. "I don't have anything to say to you and you shouldn't have anything to say to me."

"But I do," Jesse said. He sat a back a bit but not nearly far enough for Rose's liking. If she had her way, he'd be halfway across the Atlantic Ocean right now. "When I heard you were shot, I just felt-"

"Why are you even here, Jesse?" Rose cut him off sharply. She wasn't in the mood to talk about the accident.

"Dad. He's all excited for Lissa's success," Jesse gestured across the room to his father, Lissa's manager from the record company. "She's the first one to go platinum this year, you know."

"Yeah, I heard last week," Rose said.

"But enough about Lissa." Jesse closed the space between them and wrapped his arm around Rose's waist, gripping her right where the bandage covered the bullet wound.

Rose yelped. "Fuck, get off of me, Zeklos!" She hissed at him. She'd almost managed to pry his fingers away and was still working on the issue of making him stop nuzzling her neck when a hulking form blocked the light.

"Vasilisa wishes to speak with you, Miss Hathaway," said Dimitri calmly. He looked from Jesse to Rose and didn't say a word but she could tell he was probably thinking something she really didn't want to hear right now.

"Oh thank God," Rose muttered under her breath. She stood, pushing Jesse back onto the couch, and grabbed her crutches to follow Dimitri.

After a few minutes he spoke. "It looked like you could have used a hand."

Rose turned to him, startled. " _You_  decided to get the leech off of me?" It didn't add up, but she was still extremely grateful.

"You call him the leech?" A smile tugged at the corners of Dimitri's mouth. "The nickname seems... fitting."

"Huh, yeah," Rose scoffed. "He sucks the life out of any girl he gets near. If you can, try to keep any girl away from Jesse Zeklos."

"I only protect Vasilisa," Dimitri replied. Then, hastily, "And those she cares for."

"Well, you seem to be doing a bang-up job so far," Rose said. They stood next to a relatively empty section of the bar. Even when she was sitting on one of the tall chairs she still didn't meet Dimitri's height. The difference was almost comical.

"Thank you, Miss Hathaway," he replied.

"You're welcome," she said. "And you can just call me Rose, you know."

"Okay. Rose," Dimitri said. He hesitated a beat before speaking her name. It sounded strange on his tongue after all of the formalities. "Your Russian nickname would be Roza."

"Roza?" she asked. "That's the same amount of letters. Hardly a nickname."

Dimitri chuckled. Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Well, Russian doesn't make much sense in the first place. Neither does English or any language, for that matter. My nickname in Russian is Dimka."

"Dimka," Rose said thoughtfully. She burst out laughing and leaned one arm out on the bar for support. "Dimka?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yes, that's what I said."

"I'm sorry,  _Dimka_ ," Rose replied with a mocking tone. "I know I shouldn't poke fun, but that's too hilarious."

"What's so funny?" Dimitri asked. He drew his eyebrows together in confusion.

"It's just-" Rose tried to find the words. "That sounds like something I would order for takeout food on a Sunday night."

"And Rosemarie- well, Rosemary, really, is a spice," Dimitri pointed out. "I fail to see the difference."

Rose shook her head, a smile still on her lips. She patted Dimitri's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Comrade. Your Russian nickname is safe with me. You do know this gives me the grounds to mercilessly make fun of you forever, right?"

Dimitri didn't answer, he simply stared at her hand on his shoulder and then back at her. His expression had gone from playful to stone cold once again.

Rose carefully removed her hand with an uneasy expression. "Right, okay, no making fun of the Russian nicknames. Got it." She decided to switch the subject, or at least stop Dimitri from being so testy. "Where did you say Lissa was? I should go see her."

Dimitri pointed over Rose's shoulder. "She's over there."

Rose hopped off of the chair and turned to see Lissa ordering a drink. She gathered her crutches and begin to walk over towards her but paused, looking back over her shoulder at Dimitri. "Thanks for that save back there."

Dimitri's expression softened slightly. "Any time."

* * *

"Boo!"

Lissa jumped when Rose put her hand on her shoulders. She had caught Lissa just as the bartender was bringing her a drink in an intricate-looking glass.

"What are you drinking?" Rose asked, indicating the glass.

"Oh, just a cosmo," Lissa said as she took a sip. "Strong one, too."

"Look at us," Rose said with a sigh. "We've come so far from vodka Jell-O shots and tequila stolen from under your dad's bed."

"I hope you're not drinking anything," Lissa put on her 'mom' tone of voice, as she did whenever Rose strayed towards recklessness.

"I'm 100% sober, ma'am," Rose said as she saluted Lissa. She grimaced and leaned against the bar. "It's much weirder being sober at one of these things. Who knew people could be so freaky?"

Lissa snickered. "Jesse got to you, I assume?"

Rose scowled. "Yes. But that's not who. Your new kept boy, Dimitri, is just... I don't know."

"That's always a good opinion to have of someone, Rose," Lissa said with light sarcasm. "Or he could just be, you know, a normal human being with thoughts and feelings. That's also a possibility."

"No way." Rose shook her head. "We were having a normal conversation and he shut down all of a sudden."

"I just don't think he likes you," Lissa said offhandedly. "I'm sorry, but it's true."

"Everyone likes me, Liss," Rose replied, touching a hand to her chest. "I'm highly likeable."

Lissa stifled and laugh and ended up pursing her lips instead. "Okay. Let's go with that."

A blast of feedback from the microphone up near the front of the room silenced whatever Rose was going to say in response to Lissa. She looked up to see Jesse Zeklos's father, David, in a perfectly tailored suit. He was a bit less slimy than his son was, which was heaven-sent because Lissa was too nice to do anything about it if he wasn't. Tall with dark blonde hair, he looked every bit the Zeklos, a powerful music mogul family that lived in Malibu.

"Welcome everyone," David said into the microphone. "Who had a great time at the concert tonight?"

He was trying to pump up the crowd, but it was mostly filled with people over the age of 25, so he wasn't having much luck. Polite applause met his question.

"And who here loves our darling Lissa?" David winked over at Lissa who blew a kiss at him in response. The clapping was much louder with a few shouts from more inebriated guests. "As sad as we all are to see her spring concert season go, we have something even better waiting for us come June. Vasilisa Dragomir's summer tour,  _Full Moon Fever_!"

A banner came down behind him with Lissa's face and tour dates blown up to epic proportions. Rose had to hand it to him, David Zeklos was a great manager. He always knew what career move Lissa should take next and his ideas were always fresh- even if his cologne wasn't. Clapping filled the room again.

"Now, let's hear from the girl herself," David began, gesturing for Lissa to walk up to the microphone. "Lissa Dragomir!"

"I'll be back soon," Lissa whispered to Rose as she walked towards David's outstretched hand. She took the microphone and exhaled, a smile on her face.

Rose admired Lissa in those times. It was one thing playing for a stadium; there were so many people that it seemed as if it was just a sea of tiny animals. The stage lights were always so bright that she could barely see anyone, but at smaller, more intimate parties you could make out everyone's expression as you spoke. Lissa was great at public speaking but Rose often wondered if she was ever nervous.

"I hope you all have had a wonderful evening," Lissa said evenly. "Because I know you're going to have an  _amazing_  summer."

* * *

_**Rose's Journal  
** _ _May 24th_

_I have decided that after watching the 182nd episode of Scrubs that I am officially done with being under medical house arrest. Lissa insisted she didn't need me for any of the interviews she was doing outside of the apartment mainly because she has Dimitri and Dimitri doesn't have a gaping hole in his stomach. Luckily enough, the gaping hole is practically closed._

_I can walk, talk, and even do a cartwheel, but dear old Dad loves Dimitri and doesn't want to get rid of him any time soon. I think he'd marry the bastard if he had the chance. Every time I'm invited over his house so he can "check up on me" all he does is rave about how great Dimitri is, from the top of his abnormally beautiful face to the bottom of his probably very large toes._

_I've started to work on my core, but it twinges weirdly now. My brain must have missed the signal to reheal that section of muscle into rock-hard abs like they were before. It doesn't help that Andre has been hanging over at the apartment. Apparently living over at his parents' house while his apartment gets fumigated is too much for him and he's temporarily moved in with us. Well, just me now since Lissa is out promoting the upcoming tour. Dimitri has gone to guard levels that only I usually do, like picking her up right at the door and driving her everywhere. I wouldn't mind it if he didn't also steal the occasional meal from us._

_Damn Russian ate all of my takeout._

* * *

"97... 98... 99..." Rose counted in a strained voice as she did sit ups in front of the television. She slowly worked up to the last one, collapsing back onto the ground after the could of "100." A light sheen of sweat coated her skin.

"Really? That's all you can do?" Andre sat on the couch eating from a bag of goldfish crackers. Bits of cracker dust stuck to his fingertips. He'd been sleeping in their guest room for several days in anticipation to return to his newly-fumigated apartment but Rose suspected that he just liked the company.

"Well excuse me, pretty boy. I haven't been able to actually work out for two months," Rose said sharply. "Help a girl out and get me some water?"

"Yeah, yeah," Andre replied. He reluctantly got off the of couch and disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later he set a cold bottle of water down on the floor next to Rose's head. "Here you go."

"You're a saint," Rose said as she chugged most of it in one go. "I need to at least reach 200 sit ups before the tour starts or I'm toast. I can't take on rabid fans with mediocre abs!"

"Hopefully you won't have to take on any rabid fans at all," Andre said. He'd resumed his position on the couch and had split his attention between the TV and the bag of snacks in his hand. "I don't like it when they get rough either, but I think security is better as a preventative measure- not an offense. This isn't basketball."

"Says the pansy that's never played a sport in his life," Rose retorted. She sat up and stretched her arms. "I'm just a little on edge is all. Soon, I'll have my job back."

"Soon, you'll share that job," Andre said nonchalantly.

"Hey!" Rose exclaimed. "Stop reminding me. You're a terrible best friend's brother."

"If you weren't so bitter about it it'd be much less fun to bring it up," he replied. Rose opened her mouth to say something but his attention was caught by whatever was on TV. He grabbed the remote to turn it up. "Look, Lissa's on."

Lissa, in her perfectly curled platinum blonde hair and a floral-patterned sundress, graced the television screen on some talk show they'd both never heard of. Rose doubted it was live, but even then it was still kind of cool to be on the other end of one of these things. She was always backstage or on the sidelines, never in the audience. Andre, on the other hand, loved watching Lissa's interviews. Rose wondered if it made him feel a little bit famous himself.

"And we're back with Vasilisa Dragomir," the host of the show said with a large smile. She was sitting opposite Lissa on a crescent-moon shaped table. "It's lovely to have you on the show."

"It's lovely to be here, Jane," Lissa responded with a winning smile.

"Now earlier you were telling us about the success of your last album," the reporter asked. "But what are your goals for the new one? Do you have any sneak peeks ready for us yet?"

Lissa drew a breath in a dramatic manner and put a pair of perfectly manicured hands up to her face. "Oh, I wish I did, but it's all under wraps for now. I loved the reception of Infinity Blue; it was more than I could have ever dreamed. The next album is a bit off in the future but-"

She sensed Lissa's hesitation and went in for the kill. "But what?"

Lissa was a pro at this and she knew it. Glancing around the studio surreptitiously, she covered her mouth like she was going to whisper something to Jane from across the table. "I can tell you one thing. One little word."

The host tilted her head in anticipation. Rose could almost feel the heat from across the television itself.

"Are you ready?" Lissa asked. She waiting a beat, a tiny smile playing at the corner of her lips before saying in the softest voice, "Desire."

Rose had been expecting it, even if the word she would have chosen to say would have been different. So far all of the songs she'd written for the new album (at least, the first drafts she allowed Rose to peek at) weren't about love in their purest form; they were about longing. Longing about wanting something so much you would burst at the seams if you couldn't have it. She had to admit, some of the songs were a bit too risque for her normal crowd of tweens, but that same crowd was beginning to grow up- and Lissa's subject matter went with it.

"Well, you heard it here first, everyone." The reporter gestured to Lissa in her entirety. The camera zoomed in on the reporter. "And now, from the songstress herself, here's Vasilisa Dragomir singing her hit single, Electric Touch!"

The camera panned to the side to reveal Lissa in front of a microphone with a backing band. "Electric Touch" was her most popular song off of Infinity Blue, but it'd been played mercilessly on the radio last summer to the point where the entire crew groaned every time they heard it. Lissa seemed to always enjoy herself singing it, though, and no one was going to deny her the pleasure.

" _I think you'll find out what we've been doing in the dark,_ " She began. " _Take a match and light it with the spark of all those nights that you said no_.  _You're a walking catastrophe that still thinks there's hope_."

"Oh god, I'm turning it off," Andre groaned. He put the volume on the lowest setting. Lissa had written a majority of "Electric Touch" back when she was still living with Andre down in the Valley and took to singing it around the house repetitively until she had the melody exactly how she liked it. To be fair, he'd gotten the worst of it. The lyrics were probably tattooed across his brain in bright pink ink.

"But you haven't even gotten to the best part yet!" Rose said in mock excitement. She waited for the swell in the music to serenade him in an off-key voice. " _I'm a walking daydream. You're raw lightning. That electric touch is bringing me down. Oh, that electric touch is bringing me down._ "

"Stop it," Andre covered his ears and rolled over on the couch so he wouldn't face her. "You're a grown woman. Why are you so evil?"

"Says the 27-year-old sleeping on my couch."

"The guest room, thank you very much."

* * *

Dimitri arrived bright and early the next week, waking Rose from her slumber in a matter of minutes. Luckily, Lissa was a light sleeper and didn't hear the doorbell ring. Rose walked towards the front door, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she went, and opened it without thinking.

There was Dimitri, looking perfectly prepared in a light t-shirt and jeans. A pair of aviator sun glasses were perched on the edge of his nose and gave him a cool edge that Rose would rather not think about at seven in the morning.

Rose froze, realizing in the heat of the moment that she was wearing an indecently thin black tank top and a pair of flannel shorts covered in a pattern of tiny rockets blasting off into space. Bunny slippers were on her feet and she was sure her hair was sticking up every which-way.

"Uh," Rose said slowly. "Good morning?"

* * *

**Lissa's tour poster and singles cover art is up on my tumblr, drown-yourdarlings under the tag #wtlgd! Or, you could just click the link on my blog that says fanfiction on the sidebar. Thank you so much for reading!**


	4. Tasha Dearest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So sorry for the slow postings, but it's currently exam season.

"Uh," Rose said slowly. "Good morning?"

Dimitri looked her up and down and cracked a smile. "The tour bus is outside; it's time to leave. I hope Miss Dragomir is more prepared than you are."

Rose bit her lip and tried to flatten her hair. "I'll go get her." She turned to walk back towards Lissa's bedroom, leaving the door open for Dimitri to step in.

He tilted his head to the side, getting a good look at her retreating figure. "I like your bunny slippers."

Rose rolled her eyes and scowled. She knew he was just eating this up, seeing her like this. She looked ruffled and unkempt when she rolled out of bed, but then again, who didn't? But Dimitri... he probably always looked carefully put together. Rose couldn't recall an instance when he'd been the least bit out of order. His dark hair was always combed back into a perfect ponytail, his shirts pressed and shoes shined. She wondered how much time it must take to look that together or if it just came naturally.

"Liss," Rose said as she knocked on Lissa's door. She yawned and stretched her arms. "Your robot is here. Tour time."

Rose could hear a very dainty groan from the other side of the door and then, "I'll be right there!"

Rose smirked. It was probably bad of her to think it funny that the world's perfect princess had just as hard of a time getting up in the morning as she did. She passed by Lissa's room and entered her own, closing the door as she went.

It was a modest size, with a simple double bed and bright yellow walls. Rose found she felt empty sleeping in anything larger than that and with a double she could spread out like a starfish without having her hands and feet fall off the bed. She walked into her bathroom and sighed at herself in the mirror.

She gave a cursory glance at what had started out as a bun the night before and ended up as a gigantic fuzzball on the top of her head. "Great hair you've got there, Hathaway." She combed out her hair and pulled it into a ponytail. After rubbing some moisturizer into her face in an attempt to wake herself up, she brushed her teeth and got changed.

Rose dragged her suitcases into the foyer where Dimitri was waiting. "I'm guessing we're going to grab some breakfast on the road?"

He shrugged. "Depends on how fast we make it to San Francisco."

Rose cocked an eyebrow. "San Francisco is eight hours away if we book it, eleven if you take PCH, which is the prettiest way for sure. The show isn't until tomorrow afternoon."

"Do you want to tell the driver to take the Pacific Coast Highway? I'm not in charge of the itinerary, Rose," Dimitri said with a slight edge. He processed her current expression. "We'll stop by a Starbucks on the way there."

Rose grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "There we go, Comrade. Good old American Starbucks." She picked up her suitcases and wheeled them out of the apartment. "I'm going to go put these in the bus."

The bus had parked around the back of their apartment building as to not attract any attention. In her early days, when Lissa was gracing the covers of publications such as J-14 and Tiger Beat, the record company had ordered a tour bus with a gigantic decal of Lissa's face and her name in large, looping script. Now, as she was in between albums and valued her privacy a bit more, the tour bus was a simple silver. During the Infinity Blue tour there was a large decal of the album title and nothing else on the side, but it still attracted too much unwanted attention. Rose could barely get off of the bus at pit stops to grab a bag of chips from the 7/11 without being bombarded by fangirls.

"Hey Kim!" Rose waved to the bus driver who was standing by the luggage bay with a clipboard. She was an aging woman in her late 50s who had been driving for Lissa ever since her second album, Poetry in Motion. Kim had three sons who had all graduated college a few years back. She was almost like the tour mom next to Lissa's actual mother, who had only gone on tour with them when Lissa was underage.

"Hey to you too, Rose," Kim said with a smile. She indicated the suitcases at Rose's feet. "These your bags?"

Rose nodded. "Yep. I'll load them right now."

"Good." Kim made a check on her clipboard. "Now we're just waiting on Lissa and Dimitri to come down so we can all head out. Jump in the bus if you like, it's open."

With a grunt, Rose hefted her two large suitcases into the luggage hold of the bus. They were going to be gone for only two months, but a girl needed her essentials. Still, it wasn't as if she had anything special to wear when she was on duty. Rose could already spy the cases of costumes in the back corner of the hold, put there by Lissa's own costume designer.

This bus was similar to others they'd taken in the past and Rose appreciated the familiarity. Usually Lissa, Rose, Kirova (Lissa's tour coordinator), and two other security guards stayed in the main bus. Other people on the security, tech, and beauty teams were in the secondary bus. Rose had suggested Mason for the position of extra security guard, and she knew Dimitri would occupy one the other spot.

 _Perfect_ , Rose grumbled.  _Mason and Dimitri in the same bus. What could go wrong?_

She whistled as she walked up the steps and made her way to the back where the bunks were. As a precaution she usually took the one underneath Lissa's, but when she stepped towards it to put her backpack down, someone came out of the bathroom and nearly ran right into her.

"Oh!" The girl said with a shocked expression on her face. She was tall and thin, with beautiful black hair and startlingly blue eyes. They reminded Rose of ice. "Sorry! So sorry. You must be Rose?"

Rose was taken aback but managed to slow her heartbeat from the scare. "'Uh, yeah. That's me."

"Nice to meet you!" She held her hand out for Rose to shake. "I'm Tasha, the other security guard assigned to the bus."

"There's another guard assigned here?" For a second Rose thought that the world had tipped on one end, but she managed to be lucid enough for a second to shake Tasha's outstretched hand. Her voice had a light Russian lilt to it, making Rose wonder if she was one of the guards hired along with Dimitri.

"Yeah, they were worried about extra protection after..." Tasha trailed off, her gaze going to Rose's abdomen. She immediately snapped back into a smile after realizing that she'd nearly mentioned the shooting. "I believe you've met Dimitri?"

That moment, Dimitri's heavy, boot-clad footsteps could be heard coming up the bus steps. His hulking frame barely fit into the narrow hallway of the vehicle and he had to crouch slightly as he made his way towards them.

"Speak of the devil..." Rose muttered. She glanced down at her shoes as if they were suddenly the most interesting things in the entire world.

"Did you say something, Rose?" Dimitri asked. His expression was inquisitive.

"Uh, no," she replied, maneuvering out of his way. She plopped down into the cushions around the small, formica table behind the driver's seat with a sullen glare. No Mason meant no witty banter, no fun board games, and no honking at passing motorcyclists. Rose was beginning to think that this trip would be be more business than it was pleasure.

"Privyet dorogaya!" Dimitri said to Tasha with a wide smile when he saw her next to the bathroom door. She returned his grin and went in to hug him even though he dwarfed her by half a foot or so. "It's been too long."

Rose was struck by how  _happy_  he looked with her. They had to be dating, but she just couldn't see Dimitri dating anyone. Work was too important to him and feelings would just get in the way of his next robotic upgrade. Tasha seemed to be nice enough, even if she robbed Rose of having Mason to pal around with on tour. It wasn't Tasha's fault; it was Abe's.

Ibrahim Mazur was less of a father than Rose thought he should be. While her mother was gallivanting across the country as the security guard for someone who was no doubt so famous that she absolutely had to keep it a secret from her only daughter, Rose was stuck with Abe. It was no small wonder she considered Rhea and Eric to be her true parents after the mediocre ones she had been given in the first place.

Lissa wandered onto the bus and sat down next to Rose by the table. Kim followed closely behind and strapped herself into the driver's seat of the bus.

"Everyone ready?" She asked as she turned the bus on. Kim didn't wait for an answer. The bus lurched forwards and onto the main street.

"So," Lissa raised her eyebrows. Rose followed her line of sight to see Tasha and Dimitri sitting side-by-side on a bunk, her legs draped over his. They were laughing about something or another.

Rose rolled her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. "Don't even ask."

* * *

The bus slowed down a block away from the closest Starbucks just in time for Tasha and Rose to hop out. She'd volunteered because Lissa would have gotten mobbed and they'd have never gotten up to San Francisco in time and Dimitri couldn't keep track of whatever complicated frappuccino order Tasha had wanted. To be fair, that's something a decent guy friend should probably have memorized at this point.

Tasha took in a deep breath as they stepped out onto the pavement. She sighed in contentment. "I just love being back in a big city."

"Do you come from a small town?" Rose asked. She fiddled with the paper that had everyone's breakfast orders on it.

Tasha shrugged. "Depends on your definition of small. I'm usually in rural places, though. It's where people go to get away."

"Oh," Rose trailed off, not sure how to respond to that, but her curiosity got the best of her. "Does Abe ever send you anywhere I'd know of?"

Tasha could see that Rose was trying to slyly dig for information and she laughed. "That's for your dad to tell you. I'm just the hired body."

Rose bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything else. Tasha looked to be nice enough; she seemed to have all of her regular human emotions in working order, but Rose couldn't shake the feeling she got when she saw Tasha and Dimitri interact. They looked like they had been best friends forever; soul mates, even. Rose wasn't sure why she wanted to clench her fists every time she thought about it. It was beginning to become a real problem.

When Tasha turned, the wind blew back her dark hair to reveal the left side of her face and the large, jagged scar that criss-crossed her cheek. Rose hadn't seen it inside the bus because Tasha had kept most of it covered. She wondered if that had been on purpose.

Tasha didn't seem to mind that it was on display as they entered the coffee shop and stood in line behind a handful of other people. Everyone who saw it turned away immediately, afraid to be caught staring.

She glanced at Rose, who quickly averted her eyes. A sly smile grew on Tasha's features. "Wanna know how I got these scars?" She said in an exaggerated impression of the Joker.

Rose clammed up; physical flaws being one thing she was always instructed not to point out. "Uh..."

"Don't worry, some psycho killer didn't carve them or anything," Tasha rolled her eyes playfully. "I was a big-time hiker and got attacked by a bear. Wrong place, wrong time sort of thing."

"Yeah," Rose bit her lip. "I know a little bit about things like that."

They grabbed some paninis and yogurt parfaits for the rest of the group along with coffees. Rose scrutinized Tasha as they waited for their orders to be finished. She wanted to start up a conversation, but she wasn't sure where to begin. Dimitri? Her job? Her scar? There were so many unanswered questions about Tasha that it made Rose's head spin.

It was a short wait and they brought the coffees back to the bus, handing them out to the bus's occupants.

"Have a fun field trip?" Dimitri asked. He took his coffee (black, two sugars) from Tasha with a smile. They have an easy energy about each other that Rose tried her hardest not to notice.

"Oh, it was an absolute hoot," Rose replied with the smallest hint of sarcasm.

Dimitri turned to her, his expression fading back into the impenetrable mask he always wore. He said nothing, looking back towards Tasha. Rose didn't understand why he was so hot and cold towards her all the time. An uneasy feeling settled over the entire bus as they drove onwards.

* * *

_**Rose's Journal** _

_June 2nd_

_I never thought the day would come when I would say I missed the viper fangs of Kirova. She's been sleeping off some massive hangover in the cabin in the back of the bus like her party life is more impressive than any of ours (which it probably is, to tell you the truth). Instead of an imposed silence with the hum of the radio in the background as per usual, it's been filled with whatever strange '80s Russian music Dimitri and what looks to be his girlfriend are into. Lissa seems the be enjoying it, actually. She says their newness adds a refreshing change to our normal routine. I was perfectly okay with sticking to what we usually did because it involved doughnuts, gin rummy, and sleeping. It's a perfectly good lifestyle choice._

_Meanwhile, I have to watch Dimitri be a normal human being for once. It's such a weird experience. Here I thought he was a robot towards everyone, but it seems like he just hates me for some reason. Why? What have I done? I know I can be... difficult to work with sometimes, but that's only because of how Lissa and I are. I guess I'm just going to have to live with it._

_But if he plays Moskau one more fucking time, I'm going to murder him and throw the hacked-up body parts into the ocean._

* * *

"What rhymes with smile?" Lissa asked, the tip of an eraser digging a veritable hole in her cheek as she leaned on her right arm more and more.

"While," Rose shot back with ease.

"Already used that." Lissa's concentration on a wrinkled piece of notebook paper never wavered. She was halfway through the fourth song on her new album and just needed to finish up a section of the bridge before she could start messing around with chords. The process didn't usually take her very long to churn out lyrics, her fastest having been clocked at an hour, but the melodies always tripped her up.

"Uh, pile, Nile, mile, vial...?" Rose shrugged, grabbing for a package of Doritos from her backpack.

"What a healthy choice of snack," Dimitri said as he sat down on the cushioned bench across from Rose. She couldn't tell if he was being teasing or just having a terrible attitude towards Doritos.

"Well, you know what they say," Rose began. She ripped open the bag with her teeth.

A small smile played at the edges of Dimitri's lips. He pulled his hair back into a ponytail and Rose shoved a Dorito into her mouth before she could allow her brain to process why her heartbeat has suddenly quickened.

"No, what do they say?"

"Things." She shrugged noncommittally and ate another chip. Reluctantly, Rose held the bag out to Dimitri. "Want one?"

This time Dimitri did smile, she was sure of it. It was like a rare glimpse of sunshine on a cloudy day. He rose, touching her lightly on the shoulder. "No thank you, Rose. But you know, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." He walked to the back of the bus. "Remember that."

Rose's eyebrows drew together in confusion and she ate another Dorito, her mind doing a bit of a tailspin. This on and off switch on their relationship was giving her whiplash. Couldn't he just decide whether he was going to be friendly with her or not?

"Style!" Lissa shouted triumphantly. She paused when she noticed that the bus had gone silent, save for the drone of the radio. Lissa blushed. "Oh, sorry."

The bus lurched, pulling everyone out of their thoughts and onto the matter of transportation as Kim maneuvered the vehicle off of the highway and onto one of the exits. They came to a stop on the side of the road in front of a large billboard.

Lissa leaned over towards the driver's seat. "What happened, Kim?"

Kim turned the engine off and the bus shuddered, finally coming to a full stop. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. "No clue. We might've picked up a plastic bag or something that got stuck up underneath, but I won't know for sure until I check it out."

Everyone piled off of the bus, save for Kirova who, as it appeared, could sleep through nearly anything when she'd had enough to drink. The afternoon sun beat down fiercely on the group as they looked at their surroundings.

"Where are we?" Rose asked. She squinted at the rocks that bordered both sides of the narrow road.

"Look up," Tasha said, indicating the billboard they'd parked in front of.

On the left hand side of the road perched on an outcropping there was a painting of a large rainbow with the words "Welcome to Coalinga, the Sunny Side of the Valley." To the right on a similar collection of rocks was another rainbow with the words "God blesses this town. -The Mayor" printed in Comic Sans. They were both bleached by the sun.

Rose raised her eyebrows in shock. "Lord almighty," she said in a stunned voice.

Dimitri chuckled. "Bad choice of words."

"Alright, well one of you guys will have to go into town to get a mechanic," Kim said after she'd completed her inspection of the bus. "And it's not going to be Miss Dragomir. Any volunteers?"

"I'll go," Dimitri said. "Let me grab my bag first."

"Take Rose with you," Lissa added quickly. "She's got a great sense of direction."

"Really?" Dimitri raised an eyebrow.

Rose made a motion towards Lissa that vaguely resembled slitting someone's throat followed by a sharp shake of her head.

"Go, it will be good to stretch your legs," Tasha said. "I can stay behind and make sure nothing happens. Well, nothing more than sitting in the bus."

"Okay then, let's head out." He clasped his hands on Rose's shoulders and nudged her gently forwards. "Think you can navigate Coalinga?"

Rose looked at the welcome sign once again. ' _God blesses this town_ ,' Rose thought wryly.

"Jesus, I hope so." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter has the appearance of someone very special (Adrian) that you all might remember. In the mean time, why don't you go give Dimitri's 80s Mixtape a listen or watch the fanfic trailer? They're both on my tumblr, drown-yourdarlings, under my fanfic tab.


	5. Lost Spirits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a playlist for Adrian's band on 8tracks at /chewbaccalott/lost-spirits!

The road into Coalinga might have been freshly paved, but the shoulder was near non-existent, leaving Rose and Dimitri walking on a hot, dusty path that didn't seem to get any easier when it eventually leveled out closer to the town. It was a winding road, through the hills that edged the valley Coalinga was nestled in, but they fortunately didn't come up against many cars or overly-religious billboards.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Rose asked. She squinted at the road ahead, shielding her eyes from the hot afternoon sun.

"This is the only road there is," Dimitri said. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and strand of hair were stuck to the side of his head.

 _I want to lick it off_ , Rose thought distractedly. _No-! No. I want to find a mechanic. I don't want to... do whatever I just thought. Never._ She snuck another glance at Dimitri, whose profile was outlined by the light. _Okay, maybe._

"It just doesn't seem like we're getting any closer," Rose pointed out, ignoring her previous urge. She took a few steps to the side to put distance between them.

"Aren't you supposed to be the one with the great sense of direction?" Dimitri asked. His tone didn't strike Rose as light and she guessed that he wanted this excursion to be over as quickly as she did.

Rose laughed. "That was just Lissa being... Lissa."

He turned to look at her with an unreadable expression on his face, silently asking for an explanation.

"She thinks you hate me," Rose said frankly. She spotted something around the bend in the distance and sped up to avoid having to hear what he was going to say.

"What?" Dimitri asked, confused. He scrambled after her.

Rose reached the end of the curve and there, no more than half a mile away, was the small town of Coalinga. If she squinted she could just make out a Taco Bell and what looked to be a gas station near where the road they were on met the main road of the town. She sighed in relief.

"Look, we're almost there," she said when Dimitri caught up to her. Rose pointed to the gas station. "They probably know where the mechanic will be. Let's go.."

She jogged ahead of him, not stopping to make sure that he was following. Dimitri shook his head at her behavior, but filed away her comment from earlier in the back of his brain.

\--

They reached the main road in fifteen minutes and Rose immediately noticed that something was off.

Everywhere they looked, the town seemed to be deserted. There weren't any cars driving on the roads or people walking on the sidewalk. Granted, it was upwards of 100F degrees outside, which might have explained why humans were scarce, but as Rose darted to see if one of the first stores on the road was open, she was met with a locked door.

"Doesn't something about this town seem a little..." Rose's voice quieted as she searched for a word.

"Off?" Dimitri volunteered.

She nodded. The air felt different in Coalinga; like there was more of a breeze in the dusty valley town than there should be.

 _Maybe because this place is filled with ghosts_ , she thought. The notion didn't exactly comfort her as her entire family were extremely superstitious.

Dimitri went up to try the local Taco Bell, but when he entered he was greeted with silence. Rose followed and noted the slightest shift in his usually composed mask. Both the customers and the cashier were absent. Rose didn't doubt that she could saunter behind the counter and make herself a burrito if she wanted to.

"Want a free taco? I'm great at layering," Rose said to Dimitri cheekily.

Dimitri put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her, pulling Rose towards the exit.

"We should go," he said in a suspicious tone. "Something's not right here."

Rose felt his shift in mood and followed him back out onto the street.

More and more businesses were like the ones they had discovered before, closed or empty, but they struck gold at the local 7/11.

The man behind the counter had long, greasy hair and a faded button down with a nametag pinned to the lapel. He sat on a cushioned chair in front of a small electric fan on the counter behind the cash register. He looked like he should have been playing for Stillwater, not ringing up beef jerky in a gas station.

"Oh wow, thank you for being open," Rose said. "You're the first human we've seen all day."

The cashier seemed to consider her for a second and spoke. "Yeah, that'd be on account of Harley's funeral."

"Who?" Dimitri asked.

The cashier picked up a newspaper from underneath the counter and threw it at Dimitri, who deftly caught it with one hand. _Beloved Horse is Lain to Rest_ read the headline.

"The town mascot," the cashier clarified. "Everyone's down at the cemetery to pay their respects."

Rose and Dimitri exchanged a glance as if to say "well that's not morbid."

"What do you need?" The cashier smacked a piece of gum.

"Is there a mechanic nearby?" Dimitri asked.

"Yeah, but he'll be at the funeral too," the cashier said. "I'd wait an hour or so before he gets out and can fix whatever needs fixing."

Rose looked at Dimitri and shrugged. "Thanks, uh," she glanced at his nematic. "Greg. If you could call him as soon as he's available, that'd be great."

They wandered over to look at the snacks, a typical pop station blaring from the tinny speakers set in the ceiling. Rose realized with a smile that they were playing one of Lissa's songs.

"A pet funeral?" Rose hissed. "A fucking _pet_ funeral?"

"Mascots can be very important to building community moral, Rose," Dimitri replied as he looked at the label on a bottle of Vitamin Water.

"Really? I thought you of all people would be just as pissed at this setback as I am," Rose shot back.

Dimitri turned to look at her and it wasn't a glare exactly, but she could tell that he disapproved of her attitude. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're always exactly on time," Rose grabbed a package of Funyuns and a ham sandwich from the shelf. "And your life is scheduled down to the last second, like an android or something."

"It seems like you're more upset about my lack of a reaction than the actual situation," Dimitri replied in a calm, placid voice.

"There you go again! Trying to twist everything I say into some Zen Master teachable moment or whatever," Rose exclaimed. "Could we have an actual human conversation where we talk about movies or the Kardashians for once?"

Dimitri paused and looked Rose over as she went on her tirade. A small smile slipped onto his face. "Are you sure that it isn't you that hates me instead of the other way around?" He said, referencing their conversation from earlier.

Exasperated, Rose walked away. "I'm going to go get a slushy."

When she wasn't looking, Dimitri rolled his eyes and resumed picking out something to eat for lunch.

He approached her at the slushy machine a few moments later with a cell phone in hand.

"I managed to get a hold of Tasha and told her that the mechanic would take a while," he said. "They still have air conditioning and apparently Lissa has challenged Tasha to a game of gin rummy."

The hardened expression on Rose's face broke slightly as she decided on which slushy to choose. "Good. We should be back to them soon."

Dimitri stood behind her, his chin a good few inches above the crown of her head. "Get blue, it's the best flavor."

Rose turned, a mischievous smile on her face, and placed the slushy cup underneath the machine for the red flavor. She pulled the lever, maintaining determined eye contact with Dimitri as the cup filled to the brim.

"It's overflowing," Dimitri pointed out a few seconds later.

In her effort to send him a message as childishly as possible, she hadn't seen the contents of the cup spilling over. Rose pulled the lever down quickly as red mush spilled onto the tiled floor.

"Oh shit," she swore. Rose wasn't sure what annoyed her more, the fact that she was stupid enough to fall into the trap that is Dimitri's personality or that whatever he said was right, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Rose picked the full slushy cup up, but failed to account for the wet patch on the floor. She slipped, her foot colliding with Dimitri's ankle and knocked him off balance. The slushy launched itself into the air and those lightning fast reflexes of hers were just a hair shy of saving them from a bright red icy doom.

Rose fell to the floor with a resounding smack and Dimitri came right after her. The slushy soaked them both to the core, staining Dimitri's shirt a hideous shade of red.

She sat perfectly still for a moment, her eyes closed. She could feel Dimitri's presence as he laid on top of her, his left shoulder covering much of her chest.

"Rose," Dimitri said.

"I'm fine," Rose said in a tight voice, not daring to open her eyes. Slushy dripped down her cheeks. "Just peachy."

"Roza," his voice was softer, with a commanding undertone that she hadn't heard before. "Open your eyes."

Rose cracked one eye open slowly. She smiled, trying to appease the situation. She noticed the close proximity of his face, their noses practically touching. "So. It's been great hanging out with you."

She could swear that he practically growled in response.

"Guys," the cashier said as he rounded the corner. "Your mechanic's here."

Dimitri was the first to rise and he pulled Rose up with him. Their hair was dripping wet and much of Dimitri's back was coated with the sugary drink. They left the gas station with a few things to eat and piled into the mechanic's tow truck.

When they arrived back at the bus, Rose was met by an astonished Lissa and confused Tasha, to which she just said "I don't want to talk about it," and locked herself in the small single shower.

This was going to be a long tour.

\--

_**Rose's Journal  
** _ _June 2nd_

_I want to crawl into a deep, dark hole and die there. The bus was fixed and we went on out merry way, but Tasha and Lissa have been giving Dimitri and I weird looks for hours. At least he's stopped with the 80s inspired road trip mixtape and let Lissa control the radio station. After we'd both taken showers and washed our clothes as best as we could, I made sure to stay as far away from Dimitri as humanly possible. The conversation in the 7/11 was enough of an embarrassment but the slushy was just a cherry on top. I maintain that it's all Dimitri's stupid fault for being such a cryptic asshole. Professionalism is over. Done. We already live in a bus together, we might as well not have any illusions about each other._

_We're going to be pulling up at the venue in San Francisco soon. At least then I'll get to see Mason and the rest of the regular security team, but eight hours in this stupid bus has already become enough to last me an entire lifetime. Kirova woke up only an hour ago, thank god. I can't stand the woman even in small doses._

_Tasha let me have the rest of her sandwich. I like her already._

\--

"Welcome to sunny San Francisco." Kim opened the bus door with a grin, only to let in a gust of cold air.

Lissa recoiled and immediately grabbed for the sweater on her bunk. Her teeth began chattering. "Why is this city always so goddamn cold?"

"You know what they say," Rose said. "The coldest winter I ever spent..."

"...was a summer in San Francisco," Tasha finished.

Lissa rubbed at her arms as she left the bus. "Well, I hope it gets the memo that it's a city in _California_ , not Siberia."

"I think everyone here already knows that." A voice said to their left.

"Eddie!" Lissa grinned and grabbed the man pulling luggage out from the cargo hold of the bus into a hug.

He was tall, with blonde hair so light that it nearly rivaled Lissa's platinum locks. Eddie Castile was an old friend of Mason's from college. They'd done practically everything together, from joining the same fraternity to graduating with similar degrees: Mason's in Psychology and Eddie's in Biology. When jobs were scarce, Mason found him work as one of Lissa's roadies. He was a skilled sound technician and helped out whenever he can.

"Hey Liss. Hathaway," he nodded at both of the girls. "Who are the stiffs?"

Rose followed his line of sight to see Dimitri and Tasha speaking with the manager of the venue. They had changed on the bus into their usual uniforms and had become the epitome of professionals.

"Oh, no one," Rose replied. "Just a few new hired hands."

Eddie raised an eyebrow but said nothing further. He hefted a case on costumes onto one shoulder. "I remember the last time you said that. New people are definitely not 'no one.'"

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Father dearest decided to hire them, alright? They're some guards from his other business."

"Ah, gotcha." Eddie winked at Rose knowingly. Most of the crew knew that everything Abe Mazur did couldn't have been kosher. The job with Lissa was more of a respectable front than anything else. "Is Mason in yet?"

Rose shrugged. "He was put on another bus ever since they showed up." She jerked her thumb in the direction of Dimitri and Tasha.

"You don't sound bitter at all," Eddie said with a smile.

Rose cocked her head to the side. "Whatever do you mean, Edison?"

Eddie shook his head with a smile. "I'm going to go to some actual work. Say hi to Mason for me when he gets here."

\--

The sun was already beginning to set when Rose took her place next to Dimitri outside the main door to the stage. She loved the outdoor venue in San Francisco because of how tight the actual stage was in terms of security. Lissa usually played the arena in the summer and the fresh air was a welcome change to Rose, who was usually inside near the bright stage lights and claustrophobic dressing rooms.

"Have a nice shower?" Dimitri asked. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"It was wonderful," Rose said, looking straight off into the distance. "I used all of the hot water up before this asshole could get to it."

She swore she heard him laugh. "I prefer cold showers."

Rose's eyes widened slightly but she didn't look in his direction. It was like there was this magnet in each of them set to the poles and they'd both repel and attract each other at random points during the day. Mostly Rose felt like they clashed, but it was the little hints he'd drop in conversation. Dimitri was two-hundred pounds of pure Russian muscle and he knew it.

A silence stretched between them.

"I know you don't like your insecurities to be pointed out," Dimitri said calmly. "I won't do that anymore."

"Really?" Rose replied hotly. She finally turned to face him, breaking her bodyguard post. "Can't you just stay silent sometimes?"

"Weren't you telling me just yesterday that I should talk more?"

Rose's face contorted as she tried to stop herself from saying something she would regret. "Maybe I was wrong."

"You controlled yourself," Dimitri noted. "Good."

"Are you saying that I usually don't?" Rose asked. She returned to her normal stance, burning with anger.

"You're wonderful at your job, there's not doubt about that," Dimitri said. "But you say everything that comes to your mind. Sometimes it's funny, other times..."

"You think I'm funny," Rose smiled. "You think I'm funny."

Dimitri turned to look at her. "That's what you took away from our conversation?"

"It might as well be," Rose whipped her head around to meet his gaze with a teasing expression. "You _like_ me."

Dimitri did not seem amused. He turned back around and scanned the horizon for unauthorized fans backstage. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, a voice rang out.

" _Rose Hathaway, as I live and breathe!_ "

A form swaggered towards them out of the dusk and into the light of the side stage. It was a man a few inches shorter than Dimitri. He sported a tan a few shades darker than the transparency of a ghost and was clad in tight black jeans that only served to accentuate his long, lanky limbs. A sheer jacket with fringe hung lazily off of his shoulders. His swagger betrayed a tipsy nature.

"Adrian Ivashkov," Rose said in a neutral tone. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, little dancer," Adrian had a large grin on his face. "I'm everywhere, didn't you know? The band's playing opening for dear Lissa and I knew I just had to pay you a visit."

He sauntered up towards Rose and laid his head on her shoulder, lightly nuzzling her neck. "The trip was so goddamn long. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Rose would be lying if she said she felt nothing for Adrian, but when he was in such a state she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but pity. She couldn't quite put into words what they were, but it was anything but official. He was good to her most of the time, too good. They didn't deserve each other.

"I can see that," Rose lightly tapped the bottle of gin in his left hand.

Adrian popped his head up and looked at the bottle with raised eyebrows. He took a long swig with a surprised expression. "Oh, I forgot that I had that. Always a helpful one, Hathaway."

Dimitri made eye contact with Rose as if trying to convey something, but she couldn't decode his message. She thought for a second that he might be asking her if she needed any help, but dismissed the notion.

"You should get onstage," Rose said to Adrian. "The band must be waiting for you."

"The band can wait longer." He left sloppy kisses on her neck with a drunken sort of affection. "They always wait."

Rose began to push Adrian away. "I'm on duty Adrian. Behave yourself."

Adrian wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close, kissing at her neck. "Come on, you don't want me to behave."

Rose recoiled and pinned Adrian to the ground in a few swift moves. One hand was on his neck and the other held down his chest. Adrian grinned back at her, a strangled laugh bubbling up from his mouth.

"Wouldn't crush the windpipe if I were you," Adrian winked. "It's insured."

Rose tightened her grip. "Adrian Ivashkov, you will be civil or I will tell Lost Spirits that they no longer have a lead singer and then maybe they'll actually go somewhere in this business."

Adrian's expression didn't mellow, but she could sense a change in his eyes as she felt a shadow fall over them. Dimitri placed his hand on Rose's shoulder.

"That's enough," he said. "Stand up."

The weight of his hand managed to calm Rose slightly and Dimitri's presence also seemed to have an effect on Adrian that she couldn't quite place. Rose released Adrian's throat with a stern look and stood. He coughed as Dimitri helped him up.

"Thanks," Adrian managed to say with a hoarse voice.

Dimitri's expression darkened. He tightened his grip on Adrian's arm, startling the musician. "If you ever touch one of our guards on duty or off, no matter what state of... drunkenness you are in, I will have to report it to the tour manager and she will have you dealt with."

Adrian ducked slightly, a frightened look on his face. Slowly, he nodded.

Dimitri tugged on Adrian's arm. His entire demeanor gave off dangerous vibes. "I'm sorry, I did not hear you. Could you please speak up?"

"Fine, whatever," Adrian tried to pull his arm away. "Just let go of me, okay?"

Reluctantly, Dimitri dropped his grip on Adrian's arm. Adrian raised his eyebrows at Rose before entering the main side of the stage with his band. Both Rose and Dimitri resumed their positions and said nothing.

"I did not know you had a boyfriend," Dimitri said some moments later.

"He's not," Rose replied. It was only a half-truth, but to her the relationship never felt truly real. They weren't in love but there was an innate attraction that she couldn't seem to shake. Adrian was a constant fixture in her life in a way that she had no say in when he came and went. Her own personal ghost.

"Then what is he?" Dimitri jerked his thumb towards where Adrian's band was setting up.

Rose thought for a moment. "Would 'fuckbuddies' be an appropriate term to use during work hours or is there a more professional way to describe it?"

Dimitri didn't laugh like she had expected him to. It was happening more and more, plus she did consider herself to be pretty funny in the first place. Instead, he grew silent again.

Dimitri spoke. "He's complete trash."

"Of all the people giving me relationship advice," Rose said underneath her breath.

"Trust me," Dimitri's voice was more forceful. "He is not worth it."

Rose didn't look at Dimitri, she didn't dare. The urgency behind his tone was enough for her to know exactly when he meant when he said that to her. It was unlike him to show so much fondness outright, considering that this was the first job they had even truly worked together despite her hanging around backstage when she was recovering from the shooting. Rose was afraid what she might see in Dimitri's eyes in that moment. She was afraid to know that he cared.

\--

It wasn't until the show was over that Rose was allowed a little bit of breathing room. Tension between her and Dimitri on the side stage had skyrocketed after his attempt to play zen master in her love life. Sure, Adrian was an asshole, but everyone knew that. They kind of let him be an asshole on his own in a corner somewhere. Dimitri didn't understand how things usually worked in Rose's circle, and that needed to stop, lest her life become even more confusing with him fucking up her relationships.

Mason had been assigned to the opposite side of the stage and didn't get to visit until the pack of fans dwindled to a low enough amount that he could leave just one person on duty. Rose texted him right after the lights went down to tell him that she was coming over.

"Masebaby!" Rose called out from across the backstage space to where he was stationed. "How was the ride up?"

Mason made a face. "No headphones and a very chatty Stan Alto make for an interesting eight hours."

She slung a friendly arm around his shoulders with an overly-dramatic frown. "Poor kid. I tried to get you on the main bus, but they just weren't having it. The Russian block of sculpted marble had to go and bring a plus one."

"A plus one?" Mason raised his eyebrows. "How many main guards does Lissa need?"

Rose shrugged. "She's not that bad, you know. Russian like he is, not really much of a conversationalist, but she's cool."

"Is that the one?" Mason asked. He pointed out into the distance, where the crew and the musicians were mingling by the tour busses.

Tasha and Dimitri were sitting on a table, her legs stacked on top of his. They were laughing about something, and it was clear that all of Dimitri's armour had melted during their conversation. He seemed younger in that moment, and clearer than ever before. Something twisted in Rose's stomach when she saw him laugh at Tasha's jokes and put his hand on her knee.

"Yeah," she said uneasily, her affection for Tasha having been tainted by a primal rush of jealousy. "That's her."

"Hey."

The voice made Rose jump. She took her arm off of Mason's shoulders and stepped to the side to reveal an exhausted and slightly more sober Adrian Ivashkov. The sheer jacket had been abandoned somewhere backstage along with the and his skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat.

"Ivashkov," Mason said with a curt nod. The two had never gotten along ever since Adrian began hanging around Rose.

"Mason," Adrian threw him a sloppy, two-fingered salute. "How are things?"

"Fine," Mason shot a glance at Rose.

"Good, good," Adrian nodded distractedly. Then, turning to Rose, "Well I'm heading back to the bus. You want to come with?"

Rose bristled at first but then her eyes drifted to Dimitri and Tasha, who were still deep in conversation with their foreheads touching. Suddenly, Adrian seemed like a comforting option as opposed to sleeping in a bus with those two.

"Yeah," Rose grabbed Adrian's hand and determinedly led him down the steps of the side stage. "Let's go."

"Rose," Mason reached out and touched her shoulder. "Don't."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm just going to make sure he doesn't choke on his own vomit or something. I'll be right back."

There was a hint in Rose's tone of voice that made Mason skeptical, but he let the pair leave. Adrian waved goodbye with a smile on his face. He stumbled over the last step and Rose had to catch him.

"What a good set," Adrian said with whispered reverence, clinging to Rose's shoulders. Drunk Adrian was barely recognizable as a functioning person, but Rose felt that the emotional vulnerability that intoxication lent him was refreshing. He felt more like a whole person, even if he never remembered it in the morning.

"Sorry I didn't get to see it," Rose said.

"You're probably tired of listening to our shit," Adrian confessed. "I know I'm tired of fucking 'Electric Touch' being played _everywhere_. I love Liss, but dear god."

Rose laughed and put her arm around his waist. "I never get tired of your music or Lissa's. The more I hear it, the better I can sing along."

Adrian hit the side of his bus with a crash, his head lolling to one side with that signature mischievous grin creeping up his face. "I never get tired of you being here."

Rose's smile was small with a tinge of sadness. She regarded him with a sigh. "I know."

Adrian leaned over and laid his head on her shoulder, pushing her up against the side of the tour bus's exterior. He twisted his neck and laid light, sloppy kisses on her neck. "I love you, Rose."

Rose didn't look at him; she couldn't. Past the side stage, she could see someone else though. Dimitri. He was staring right at the pair and there was a hardness in his gaze that Rose couldn't ignore. She swallowed, a lump sitting deep in her throat, worried that Dimitri could see how terrified she felt even from so far away.

Adrian's touch felt rushed, but he paused and waited for an answer to his statement. But Rose couldn't bring herself to say anything. Her eyes flicked from Adrian, her beautiful, beautiful Adrian, to Dimitri's form in the distance.

Her breathing increased as she grabbed Adrian by the collar and pulled him towards her with a deliberant force that reverberated throughout her entire body. They grappled for a few moments before Adrian found the handle to the tour bus door and they tumbled inside, not even waiting to find a bunk before clothes began flying.

As Rose laid next to Adrian, she felt empty, but that was better than feeling nothing at all.


	6. The Interview

Rose walked up the steps of the tour bus with her hair stuck to her forehead, still sweaty from her morning run. She’d managed to sneak out of Adrian’s bus before the rest of his band could come back last night. Luckily enough, he was a pretty heavy sleeper. Rose didn’t know why she felt such dread waking up that morning; she loved Adrian. She was supposed to, anyway.

“Have fun last night?” A voice came from the kitchenette’s bench.

Dimitri layed sprawled across the cushions, a novel with a loud blue and red cover in his hand. _The Lone Star Ranger_ , it read. He took up the space in a way that Lissa and Tasha never could, not with his bulk but with a presence that only Rose seemed to be able to feel. It unnerved her incredibly.

“Oodles of it, comrade,” Rose said with a bite to her voice. She walked over to her bunk and grabbed a towel.

“I know,” Dimitri said flatly. He picked up his phone from the table and held it out, his eyes still on his book. “It’s all over Instagram.”

Rose arched an eyebrow, but took the phone from Dimitri’s hand anyway. There, on Adrian’s Instagram, was post after post of Rose. Rose by the side stage, Rose talking to Mason, Rose with Adrian, Rose sticking her tongue out. Adrian must have been more lucid than she’d originally thought to be able to take all of the photos without her noticing.

“ _Finally reunited with my flower #damntime,_ ” read one of the captions. There were over eleven thousand likes.

“Shit,” Rose said, almost on instinct.

“I would prefer it if you keep your sexual exploits private, Miss Hathaway,” Dimitri replied. He kept reading his book, the goddamn book, and wouldn’t look at her. His expression was unreadable.

“Well, I’m sorry, _Mr_. Belikov,” Rose retorted. She was seeing red and the only thought running through her mind was first killing Adrian, then Dimitri. “At least I’m not fucking another person on my security team.”

Dimitri’s eyebrows shot up. He finally took his eyes off of the cowboy novel and swung his legs out so he could face her. “Whatever I do is my business. Pictures of me do not show up on Instagram, and they certainly don’t attract so much attention. Stay professional.”

“ _You are not my boss!_ ” A well of anger burst forth in Rose. She couldn’t stop herself. With every sentence that came out of her mouth, she inched closer to Dimitri to the point where their noses were almost touching. “You do not dictate what I do, what I say, or who I fuck. Or how popular that person is! You’re here to protect Lissa, that’s all. Live with it, Dimitri Belikov, because at least I made one man happy last night while you were back here doing fuck-all, probably brooding about your pitiful life as a hunk of sculpted, emotionless marble!”

Dimitri stayed silent for a moment, his eyes connecting with Rose’s. He was clearly letting her simmer down, but at the same time he could feel the space between them (or lack thereof). It had a physical presence.

“There are a few points that you have wrong, Rose Hathaway,” Dimitri said in a calm tone. “Number one, I am your boss. I was hired by Mr. Mazur to oversee all security personnel. Number two, I am not, as you put it, ‘fucking’ Natasha. She’s my cousin.”

Rose withdrew sharply. “She’s your _cousin_?”

Dimitri nodded.

“This is some straight-up Game of Thrones shit, Dimitri,” Rose said, distraught. “You should not have that much sexual chemistry with your own _cousin_.”

Dimitri’s composed features broke for a moment, showing intense confusion. “Wait, we don’t have sexual chemistry!”

Rose talked over him, her voice rising. “And you’re not my boss. I’ve been her security guard longer than you ever will be. I am the best at this job.”

“No, you’re not.” Dimitri stood, looking down at her from a place of power. “She was nearly shot. You failed to keep her out of harm’s way. Mazur hired someone who he thought would be better for the job and I am. End of discussion.”

Rose clenched her jaw, clearly on the verge of saying something when Adrian popped his head in the door.

“Hey, Rose, the boys are going--” Adrian began.

“Not now!” Rose and Dimitri shouted in unison. They were brimming with seething anger, both at each other and at Adrian.

“Alright,” Adrian noticed the venom in their voices. “I’ll just...”

He left. 

“What a class act you have there,” Dimitri said to Rose. “He really seems like an upstanding citizen.” 

“Adrian is not that bad,” Rose replied with a glare. 

“I had to clean his vomit off of the stage,” Dimitri crossed his arms. “Vomit he put there _during_ his show.” 

“Well at least I’m not fucking my cousin,” Rose quipped, exiting the bus before she worked up the urge to punch Dimitri or, even worse, lose her job. 

“I’m not--!” Dimitri shouted after her. Then, in a quieter voice, “I’m not fucking my cousin.”

 

* * *

 

The bus was incredibly tense later that day as they waited for the stage to be packed up before they move on to Portland. Dimitri wouldn't talk to Rose, who wouldn't talk to Adrian, who wouldn't talk to Dimitri, and it all went around in a circle, especially since Adrian insisted on lounging around the bus with Rose. Even if all she was doing was repairing some of her work clothes.

A knock sounded on the bus door.

“Come in,” Lissa said, grateful for a distraction.

Mia, Lissa’s personal assistant, walked in with a girl in tow that couldn’t be more that eighteen years old at best. She was impossibly tall with curly brown hair and a comms device looped around her ear.

“Hey Mia,” Lissa said cheerfully. “What’s up?”

“I’m just showing our newest intern around to all of the busses,” Mia said. “Jill Mastrano, meet Bus A.”

Jill seemed frozen in place, especially when her eyes laid on Lissa. She had to be a superfan or something, because she couldn’t even breathe.

“It’s so good to meet you,” Lissa siad. She clasped one of Jill’s hands. “That’s Rose and Dimitri on security, and Adrian from Lost Spirits. He’s not on the bus.” She shot a look at him. “Usually.”

“I cherish our moments together, Liss,” Adrian said in response. He blew a kiss at Jill. “Nice to meet you too.”

Jill nearly fainted.

“What sector are you in?” Rose asked.

“Creative,” Jill replied quickly. “I’m the new hire from Berkeley.”

Rose smiled. Jill was like a tiny mouse that Rose wanted to protect with all of her might. She always loved the new interns because they were so eager to please and often the hardest workers out there: when you have everything to lose, it tends to start a fire.

“Really? I’ve been working on some new songs and could use some help if you want to stay on our bus until Portland,” Lissa suggested. “Rose is crap at coming up with good rhymes.”

“Hey!” Rose said with exaggerated indignation. “Mile and file were _amazing_ rhymes.”

“I don’t think that’s--” Mia began, reaching out slightly, but it was too late. Lissa’s mind was set.

“We do not have enough space on the bus for everyone, Miss Dragomir,” Dimitri said. He looked at Adrian out of the corner of his eye. “Unless we remove those who aren’t supposed to be here in the first place.”

Adrian swiveled his head and gave Dimitri a look full of so much venom he should have been dead on the spot. Dimitri remained stoic and looked directly ahead.

“Sorry Adrian,” Rose said, trying to ease the tension. “You’re going to have to go back on your own bus.”

“For the record, I am not doing this willingly.” He stood up slowly with a long sigh and put sunglasses on that managed to cover most of the dark circles from his hangover. Adrian leaned down and kissed Rose far more graphically than anyone really needed to see. “Bye guys.”

He headed towards to door and squeezed Jill’s shoulder on the way out. “Nice meeting you, Jill.”

Jill let out a small squeak after he left. “Is he always that...”

“Hungover?” Mia supplied. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“I was going to say suave or romantic,” Jill said. She looked as if she’d done something wrong.

Everyone in the bus erupted into laughter, save for Dimitri who cracked a smile.

“Yeah, if there was anything I would describe Adrian as, it sure as hell wouldn’t be _romantic_ ,” Rose said. The laughter helped her to acclimate to Adrian being back in her life. In all fairness, he had never actually left. Adrian was the one who was always waiting for her. It sounded sad at first, but it became a comfort. She'd always have one person who, no matter what, would always think that she was the most amazing thing to ever happen to them.

“Oh, alright.” Jill tucked a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously.

“Come, sit.” Lissa patted the space next to her. “You can stay for the drive too if you want, Mia.”

Mia smiled and shook her head. “I think Jill’s alright on her own for now. Besides, all I have to do is balance your schedule and respond to some tweets. Remember, you have a radio interview as soon as we get to Portland, so change into outfit five when the bus stops.”

Lissa saluted her. “Yes ma’am!”

Mia rolled her eyes and left the bus. Tasha entered.

“Kim said we have ten minutes, then it’s four hours until our next stop and another five to Portand.” She sat down in the chair opposite Dimitri. She spotted Jill and waved to her. “Hi, I’m Tasha, one of the other guards.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Jill.” She grinned.

Kim entered the bus and they drove out. Rose looked at Dimitri for a split second just as he chose to look up from his novel. They locked eyes and seemed to say the same thing to each other.

_What’s your deal?_

 

* * *

 

**_Rose’s Journal_ **

_June 4th_

_The drive up to Portland was not nearly as tedious as I thought it would be. We stopped off somewhere on the highway for lunch and I ate too many fajitas (as one does) and Dimitri discovered he actually likes jalapenos. Revelation of the century. He was more surprised that I seemed unfazed by spicy food, as Lissa could barely eat anything spicier than mustard without breaking out in sweats. Fire cannot kill a dragon, you know._

_Jill seems like a sweet kid. There’s a reason she’s on the creative team: she’s a goddamn genius. Every time Lissa was stuck on a line in a song, she’d fix it up and make it sound even better than before. Lissa almost regrets letting her into the bus for so long; she’s showing up nearly everyone. The girl’s got skills._

_We’ll be arriving in Portland soon, I hope. Dimitri’s been sitting in the corner reading some old cowboy novel with a wrinkled cover. It looks like it’s going to fall apart. I want to ask him what it’s about, but I think he hates me now. At least, he does if he didn’t already. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I really want to yell at him. Or punch him. Both sound good right about now. He already took my job, he has no place in my love life._

* * *

 

 

“ _But when my time runs out I know/ you’ll be waiting right back home_ ,” Lissa strummed lightly on the guitar. She stopped and picked up her pen, scratching something into the piece of paper. The miniature TV was blaring on the other side of the seating area. “That doesn’t sound right. It’s too... crowded.” 

Jill leaned over the paper. “It’s the bridge, so you should probably make it shorter if you want a musical break like you did on your last album.

Lissa bit her lip and rewrote something. She began playing. “ _But when my time runs out/I know you’ll be there now/For me to love you all over again/Just not yet._

“Yes!” Jill jumped and clapped her hands together. “That sounded so _good_.”

Lissa smiled with her head ducked and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was about thank her, but something on the TV caught her eye. “Hey Rose, can you turn that up?"

Rose leaned forwards to reach the TV and flinched, her stomach causing her pain. Dimitri noticed this and leaned towards her.

“Let me,” he said. He turned the volume knob up so they could all hear.

“The suspect involved in the shooting of popular singer, Vasilisa Dragomir, has pleaded ‘not guilty’ to charges of assault and attempted murder with a deadly weapon today in a Los Angeles court,” said the anchorwoman on the screen. They put up a picture of the man being escorted out of the courthouse in a prison uniform. “He reportedly attempted to shoot Miss Dragomir several months ago, but instead injured one of her body guards.”

“Turn it off,” Rose said. Her jaw was clenched.

No one moved. Lissa stayed silent.

“I said, _turn it off_.” Rose reached over and pressed the power button on the television.

“I’m going to have to testify,” Lissa said. Her voice sounded detached, as if she was speaking through a phone line. “ _We’re_ going to have to testify.”

“No, you won’t,” Rose said. “You don’t have to go anywhere near him.”

“Why’d he plead not guilty if everyone saw him do it?” Jill asked.

“Sometimes people will deny almost anything.” Dimitri said. He had meant the words for Jill, but was looking at Rose when he said them.

She ducked her head, face growing warm with blush. Thankfully, the bus came to a stop and Kim turned around in her seat.

“We’re at the radio station,” she said.

Tasha stood. “Time for the interview, Miss Dragomir. Dimitri, Rose.” She gestured to them with her thumb and pointed outside.

Dimitri stood with ease but Rose’s stomach twitched when she stood. She couldn’t cover the flinch in time and Dimitri took her arm.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, wrenching her arm away from him. “Let’s just get this over with.”

 

* * *

 

The interview as held in their most spacious recording room which wasn’t saying much. Lissa often made appearances on radio shows across the country, and they were Rose’s least favourite places to guard. Security was incredibly lax, which led to a swarm of fans outside the studio. It was easier getting her in today because she had Dimitri and Tasha with her, but she’d never admit that.

“Lissa Dragomir!” The radio show host threw his hands into the air. “Long time, no see. How’ve you been?”

“Great, Joel,” Lissa said with a smile. “I’ve been working on a lot of new music that I’m excited to show everyone very soon.”

“This girl is crazy,” Joel said into the microphone. “Only a few months after being shot at and she’s still buckling down and getting to work like a champ. She doesn’t look too bad either.”

Dimitri shook his head at the radio show host, dragging his left hand in a cut-off motion.. Joel waved him off.

“Excuse me?” Lissa asked. She was torn between being polite and speaking her mind.

“And I heard the guy had the balls to plead ‘not guilty’ today in court!” Joel said. “What an asshole. Although you are getting a fair bit of publicity off of it, and you don’t look any worse for wear. That dress is doing you a lot of favours.”

Rose saw something break inside of Lissa and for once, she didn’t want to rein her in. It was Lissa’s war to wage, not hers.

“How _dare_ you?” Lissa seethed with disdain.

“Liss...” Rose put her hand on Lissa’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her, but the hounds had been unleashed.

“I come on your show and all you want to talk about is the shooting and how fit I look?” She was furious.

“That’s not what I meant--” Joel held his hands up defensively.

Lissa stood and slammed her hands down on the table. “I don’t _care_ what you meant, you-- you... _dick!_ ”

Everyone in the studio gasped. Rose and Tasha exchanged a look, trying not to laugh. Dimitri bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling.

“I’m here to share music with your listeners, _not_ to serve as a shock and awe piece, much less at the expense of my security guard, who was the actual person injured.” Lissa was on a roll at this point. Her hair was slightly ruffled, like a wolf about to go for the throat. “So apologize to both of us and apologize to your listeners, because I will not be playing anything for you and you’d be lucky if I return in the future.”

The room was completely silent. Joel sat in his swivel chair, stunned. His producers behind the pane of glass had their jaws dropped. It was a combination of tour stress, fear, and the news report she’d seen on the bus. Couple that with some basic Hollywood objectification and you’ve got a bomb that’s ready to blow.

“I’m waiting,” Lissa said. She stared the radio show host down.

“S-sorry,” he spoke into his mic after a moment. “I apologize.”

“Thank you,” Lissa said. She grabbed her jacked off of her chair and put it on. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be going now.”

Dimitri tapped Rose on the shoulder, breaking her out of her stunned silence, and the guards made their way towards the door. Lissa was standing in the hallway with her head in her palm.

She looked at Rose, her eyes full of anger and regret. “That was a bad idea, wasn’t it?”

Rose looked out at the fans beyond the radio station, the fans that would be getting an alert on their phones from any number of trashy celebrity websites branding Lissa a drama queen, a bitch, a traitor. Then, she thought of those who would hail her as a queen, someone to be admired for shouting in the face of adversity, and she softened slightly.

“Maybe,” Rose said. “But maybe not.”

She smoothed down Lissa’s hair and kissed her on the forehead, leading her by the arm to the back exit of the radio station. Tasha and Dimitri followed, sunglasses at the ready.

“What was that?” Tasha said in a low tone to Dimitri.

Dimitri watched Lissa from afar as she walked, regal as a queen, back to the tour bus. “I think that’s the final straw that broke the camel’s back.”

  



	7. Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give you all the gift of weekly updates! Lights is now updating every weekend, so get pumped!

Rose got up earlier than usual, but the sun was rising so early these days that it didn’t really bother her. She walked out from the bus and began to stretch for her run  when she spotted someone a few yards away from the back of the bus.

Dimitri was there doing tai-chi, the sunlight hitting his face in a way that made him look like he was lit from the inside. His movements were slow and mesmerizing and his eyes were closed, but he obviously heard her approach.

“Good morning, Rose,” he said. His voice was level and calm.

“Uh, hey,” she replied. “Having fun there?”

He smiled lightly, his eyes still closed. “As much fun as one can have doing tai-chi.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Rose said. She continued stretching. “I’ve never done it before.”

Dimitri paused for a second, deliberating, and gestured for her to come over. “Join me. It’s very relaxing.”

Rose laughed and mimicked Dimitri’s stance next to him. “Exactly what all of us need right now.”

Dimitri took a moment to respond. “Was that sarcasm?”

“Not sure,” Rose said. “This tour has gotten off to more of a rocky start than any of the others.”

“That can’t be true,” Dimitri said. “I’ve heard about your exploits in the past. The guinea pig?”

“Jesus! You buy one from a pet store when you’re twenty, lose it on tour, and no one ever lets you forget it!” Rose said, throwing her hand up into the air.

“You’re not the best at this whole relaxing thing. Here, let me show you.” Dimitri dropped his stance and put his arms on hers. He moved them into the proper position at a slow pace. “Slowly. See?”

Rose made a sharp intake of breath at his touch. It was different from the business-like brushes of the hand that they’d occasionally exchanged in the past. His hands were warm, calloused by years of work. What did he even do to get them? Was he a sailor in a past life?

“Slowly...” Rose repeated. Dimitri took his arms off of hers. She spotted him out of the corner of his eye watching her.

“Good,” Dimitri said. “You’re getting the hang of it.”

Rose swallowed, a lump in her throat that she didn’t even know was there dissipating in seconds. Where Dimitri was infuriating a week ago, with the recent events he’s been a constant and calming force. 

“How do you like the job so far?” She asked him. “I know you did the light work in the city before tour, but being on tour is a whole other animal.”

Dimitri chuckled. He resumed doing tai-chi. “It’s much more difficult than other assignments I’ve had. Mostly people want to kill whoever I’m protecting; everyone here just wants to hug her.”

“Except for one.” Rose grew somber.

“Yes,” echoed Dimitri. “Except for one.”

A pause stretched between them. The sun began shine at full-force.

“What kinds of people did you do security for before?” she asked. “You know, with my dad.”

“A lot of people,” Dimitri said. “Usually people who had every reason to fear the world but did a dangerous profession anyway. I guarded your father on the off occasion.”

“Really?” Rose bit her lip. “He never mentioned that.”

“I wouldn’t think so,” Dimitri replied. “He’s a very secretive man.”

“You could say that again,” Rose scoffed. “I’ve known the man the entire life and I’m still not sure what business he’s in. Doing Lissa’s security is just a favour to her.”

Dimitri snorted. “He does some... interesting things. It’s probably better you don’t know.”

Rose dropped the tai-chi stance and turned to look at him. “Really? What if it puts me in danger? What then?”

Dimitri shrugged. “Then you defend yourself.”

Rose begrudgingly resumed the tai-chi stance again. “I could barely save Lissa. I don’t think I could fight off an army of goons.”

Dimitri licked his lips to suppress a smile. “If you’d like some help, I could train you.”

Rose considered it for a moment. She hated conceding defeat to Dimitri by saying hewas the better guard, but the fact of the matter was that he had much more experience and knowledge than she did- and about much more dangerous situations, too. She could become so much better by learning from him, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

“Sure,” Rose said with nonchalance. “Whenever you’re free.”

Dimitri nodded. Rose wanted more than anything to know what he was thinking.

“Hey guys!” Tasha called from the bus. Her hair was up in a messy braid and she had a loose hoodie on, a far cry from her normal attire. “We need to do a supply run. Want to come?”

Rose turned to Dimitri. “I’ll go. You should stay with Lissa.”

“As you wish,” he said. The line made her smile.

“Wait up!” Rose called back to Tasha. “I’m coming with!”

* * *

“Would you rather have Cheetos or...” Tasha paused, looking at the packaging. “Funyuns?”

Rose popped her head over the aisle. “Cheetos, definitely. Funyuns give you Funyun breath.”

“Alright, Cheetos it is!” Tasha picked up several bags and put them into the cart. It was near overflowing at this point with all types of snacks and drinks, as well as things like notebooks, sunscreen, and an alarm clock.

“Do you think we have everything?” Rose asked.

Tasha pulled the shopping list from her pocket. “No, we still need...” She squinted. “I can’t read the handwriting.”

Rose held out her hand for the list. “That says alcohol. Ignore it.”

“Really?” Tasha asked. “I know we can’t have it, but would Lissa like any? Or Kirova?”

“No, they get free drinks. That was probably Adrian’s request,” Rose replied. “Although Dimitri seems like he could use some.”

Tasha laughed. “Dimitri couldn’t get drunk off of an entire bottle of vodka here. It’s too weak.”

Rose raised an eyebrow. “Good to know. He always seems like...”

“Like he needs to remove the stick up his ass?” Tasha offered. “I figured. There’s something about him around you.”

“Yeah, he hates me,” Rose said.

“No,” Tasha replied. “That’s not it.”

“Anyway, I’m not joining his tai-chi class anymore,” Rose pushed the cart. “He’s so particular about technique that I forgot to go for my morning run."

“Did he do the thing where he puts his arms over yours and moves your hands for you?” Tasha grinned.

“Yes!” Rose exclaimed. “Why does he need to do that?”

Tasha laughed. “And he’ll sit on the couch reading those Western novels all day on his days off. He won’t do anything else.”

“One time I interrupted him and he growled at me.” They both collapsed into a fit of giggles. “Actually growled!”

“He’s a weird one,” Tasha said.

“How long have you known him?” Rose asked. 

“All my life,” Taasha said. “We’ve worked together ever since we graduated college.”

Rose sighed. “That seems like a long time to be stuck with Dimitri Belikov.”

Tasha shrugged. “He’s not that bad once you get used to him.”

_ Like Stockholm Syndrome _ , Rose thought.  _ Or Pauly Shore _ .

They continued going up and down the aisles in Target before approaching the cashier. Rose liked Tasha; she felt like a sister to her but in a different way than Lissa. She wondered if she’d be this friendly with her if Tasha had been the one to take over her job. Rose hoped so, but that probably wasn’t realistic.

“Oh shit.”

It was the first time Rose had heard Tasha swear and when she followed her line of sight, she knew why.

POP PRINCESS LISSA DRAGOMIR HAS MELTDOWN DURING INTERVIEW

“DON’T TALK ABOUT ME!” SHE SCREAMED LIVE ON AIR

“Oh shit,” Rose echoed.

The more trashy dailies all had a blurry picture of Lissa yelling that the radio show host as a cover with an equally defaming headline. Rose wondered if anyone even read these things anymore, especially since she saw one claiming Obama and Harry Styles were having an affair last week, but she had to concede that this one was true.

“Do you think she knows?” Tasha asked.

Rose nodded. “Oh, she knows, but we can’t let her see these.”

“Easy, we don’t take her out to crowded public places like this,” Tasha said. She began loading things from the cart onto the conveyor belt.

“No, not easy,” Rose said. “When she punched the guy groping her at her own concert a few years ago the entire crew had somehow bought one of those awful magazines and was reading it. No trash like that gets to come in on set.”

“I have to say, this is definitely more exciting than my last assignment,” Tasha said. “Elizabeth II doesn’t exactly do much on any given day.”

“Let’s just hope this blows over.” Rose realized what Tasha had said. “Wait, the Queen of England?!”

* * *

**_Rose’s Journal_ **

_ June 8th _

_ It was harder than we’d expected to hide all of the articles from Lissa. She has this weird fascination with looking herself up online to  see everyone’s thoughts, but it always ends up with something from our kitchen smashed on the floor. I have to admit, I googled her a lot in the early days, but at this point everyone’s a critic and usually the criticism they give her is less than constructive. “Die, bitch.” is a notable one. _

_ The media hadn’t latched onto this as much as I thought they had. Some Kardashian sister married someone again, so Lissa was tiny little sentence in an otherwise crowded page. While Lissa’s publicist and Kirova are fine with bad publicity, I know that’s not how she wants to represent herself. _

_ Portland was a good concert despite the hiccups earlier and Boise was okay. They really love Lissa there, but I never want to see another open corn field again in my entire life. We had a few hours free one day and Dimitri showed me this amazing new move that uses my body weight to flip someone larger than me over my shoulder. He has an interesting way of structuring the hold that was different to what I had done before. I kind of... like it? He’s a good teacher. I haven’t rescinded my previous comments about the robotic nature of everything he does, but he’s beginning to soften up. Even though Mason isn’t on the team, I feel like Dimitri, Tasha, and I work well together. _

_ Could I be becoming a team player? It seems like a longshot. Anyway, we’re arriving in Vegas soon, which I’m terrified for. Their security is usually tight, but everyone is shitfaced at these concerts. The drinks reception afterwards will be even harder to contain. God help me. _

 

* * *

The concert had ended with a bang. The Las Vegas venue was beautiful and could accommodate every piece of the set, including the pyrotechnics they couldn’t manage to squeeze in at the Boise show. Lissa was still slightly off and while the concert had reenergized her, she slumped immediately afterwards.

“Ready to mingle?” Rose asked. She nudged Lissa in the ribs with a smile.

“Honestly? No.” Lissa ran her hands through her hair, shaking out a mist of glitter. “I just want to slip into my bunk and knock out for a good 24 hours.”

“Same,” Rose said. “But we’ll be in the room with you if you need anything. And I’m sure no one will notice you slip out after a few hours.”

Lissa sighed.

Rose put her arm around Lissa and rubbed her shoulders. “Is this still about the radio thing? I think the media has forgotten about it by now, Liss. Everything’s okay.”

“No,” Lissa said. “Andre received this big award today at a work party and I couldn’t be there since we were doing this concert. I feel awful; he’s out there being amazing but everyone only pays attention to me.”

Dimitri locked eyes with Rose and indicated silently that they should get going.

“I’m sure your parents did something for him. Wait, I have an idea.” Rose grabbed her phone from her back pocket and dialed Andre on Facetime. “Here, talk to him. You’ll feel so much better.”

Lissa looked unconvinced but as soon as Andre’s face lit up the screen she looked immediately better. “Hey! How was your party?”

“Good,” said Andre from the screen. He was grinning. “How was the concert?”

“Well, you know, I sang some, I danced some. The usual.” Lissa walked ahead of them as she continued to talk to Andre. Tasha went with her.

“You know her well,” Dimitri said.

“I should. We’re practically sisters,” Rose replied. She looked up at him and a smile crept up on her face. “We have a few seconds. Can I try that move on you again?”

Dimitri smiled at her enthusiasm and spread his feet to ready himself. “Go for it.”

Rose grabbed Dimitri’s arm and shoved her shoulder full force into his chest. It took a bit of momentum, but she managed to flip him over her back and he landed on the ground with a thud.

“Yes!” Rose pumped her fist into the air. “I did it!”

Dimitri took a second to catch his breath. “You know no one coming at you will stand still like I did, right?”

“Oh stop it.” Rose stuck her tongue out at him. “Don’t ruin this.”

He cracked a smile and held his hand out. “Some help?”

Rose paused for a moment, caught off-guard, but grasped his arm and pulled him up. “Anytime.”

They locked eyes. He was so close that his nose just barely brushed the top of her head. If she angled her head just a little bit, their lips would connect, no effort needed. Rose could feel his breath on her forehead as he spoke. 

“Thank you.”

Rose had never heard two words sound so amazing before. There was a magnetism between them that she couldn’t tell was one-sided or not. They worked together, she didn’t want anything to become awkward like it sometimes was with Adrian.

_ Oh Adrian _ . The thought snapped Rose back to reality. The reality was that if anything happened with Dimitri, she would break an amazing person’s heart in two.

“Should we be going, then?” Rose asked.

Dimitri gulped and nodded. “Yes. We should set up a plan for the party. Main security will cover all exits, but we should be in the party in case something happens."

“Ah, I love Vegas,” Rose said as they walked down the hallway. Lissa was at the end by the door, still talking to Andre. “No shortage of weirdos wanting to grope a superstar.”

“So you’ll take near or should I?” Dimitri asked.

“I think Tasha should take near.” Rose pointed to the way she kept Lissa separate from crew members passing by but stayed relaxed. “She’s pretty good at it.”

“Far guards, it is,” Dimitri said.

“High five for far guards.” Rose held her hand out. Dimitri stared at it with a raised eyebrow. “C’mon, man. Don’t leave me hanging here.”

He rolled his eyes and lightly tapped Rose’s hand.

“Yes!” Rose grinned. Two friendly gestures in a day was such a victory.

Dimitri laughed quietly. “You never get tired of being happy, do you?”

Rose thought for a moment. The grin dropped into a smile. “Not really. It’s better than being sad.”

He looked at her, something in his eyes that spoke louder than words. 

_ Is that what understanding looks like? _ Rose thought. She tossed it aside as they approached Lissa.

“Party time,” Rose said. “Let’s get the execs drunk!”

Tasha snickered.

“Is that Rose?” Andre asked from the phone.

“Yes it is!” Rose yelled. “It is Rose!”

Andre laughed and yelled back, “Hi Rose!”

“Oh my god, be quiet you two,” Lissa said. “I have to go Andre. Talk to you later?”

“Will do,” Andre said. “Love you, Liss!”

The connection was cut. Lissa gave the phone back to Rose and smiled.

“Let’s party.”

* * *

The pulsing lights and music always ended up making Rose feel slightly nauseous, but she felt better sitting it out now that Lissa seemed to actually be having fun. She was laughing as she talked to someone in a pressed suit and impeccably combed hair. He couldn’t be more of Adrian’s opposite than if he was actively trying.

“She’s happier,” Dimitri noted.

“She’s like that sometimes,” Rose said. “Ecstatic one second and destroyed the next.”

Dimitri thought for a moment. “How often does she do that?”

Rose clenched her jaw. “I know what you’re trying to get at and she’s not like that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being that way, Rose,” Dimitri said.

“Lissa doesn’t need fixing.” Rose turned to him. “She’s fine the way she is.”

He recoiled. “Alright. You know her better than I do. I trust your judgement.”

Rose calmed and sat back down. “Thank you.” Then, “Sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?” he asked.

“I...” She paused. “I’m not sure, but there’s probably something.”

Dimitri chuckled. “Whatever you say.”

Rose bit her lip. “She does look happy, though. It’s nice.”

They both watched Lissa sit down in a secluded booth with the boy she was talking to earlier. She ran her hand up the guy’s arm. Tasha was in the crowd, watching Lissa from closer up. 

“At least someone’s going to be getting some tonight,” Rose snorted.

“What about your boyfriend?” Dimitri asked.

“Adrian’s not my boyfriend,” Rose replied sharply.

“Are you sure about that?” Dimitri asked. He turned his head to look at her.

Rose made a sharp intake of breath. “Don’t make me say something I’ll regret, Dim-sum.”

“Dim-sum.” Dimitri pursed his lips. “That’s a new one.”

“Shut up.” Rose’s anger dissipated and she punched him lightly in the arm.

“Gladly,” he replied with a smile. He grabbed her fist before it could even connect with his arm. 

They stayed in this position for a few seconds before Tasha walked up to them, interrupting the moment. She had her jacket tied around her waist, her comms device hanging loosely from her ear.

“Hey,” she said. “Vasilisa told us to take off. She said she’ll be fine for the rest of the party.”

Rose dropped her fist from Dimitri’s hand. She could feel the heat radiating up her arm even after they had lost contact. She rubbed the point where he’d touched her.

“Are you sure?” Dimitri asked. He looked at Lissa cosying up with the guy she’d met earlier in the booth.

“She sent me this text,” Tasha showed them her phone. “I even saw her type it out. She must not have wanted to leave her conversation.”

_ Lissa: you guys can go sleep. i’ll be fine. and tell rose i am serious. you’re off duty now. _

“Who is that guy?” Rose asked.

Tasha shrugged. “No clue. Looks like some ad exec’s kid or maybe an actor? I only saw the back of his head.”

Dimitri stood from his stool. “Well, then I will be going back to the hotel.”

“Really?” Rose asked. “I’m getting a bad vibe.”

“There’s no paps around and the secondary crew will be here to escort her back to the hotel when she wants to go,” Tasha said. “Sleep sounds really great right now, Rose.”

“Yeah,” Rose licked her lips. “Let’s go, then.”

She made a quick pit stop to where Mason was stationed to ensure that Lissa would get home safely and not in the grubby hands of whatever social climber was she was currently flirting it up with in the back booth. 

Rose couldn’t sleep in the hotel room, though, no matter how hard she tried, so she decided to go back to the bus, which was parked in the back lot behind the hotel. It was empty and dark, but she managed to jimmy the door open and get inside. The alcohol cabinet was the first thing she laid her eyes on and she rummaged in the back, pulling out a dusty bottle that she was sure Lissa put in there ages ago after stealing it from her parents’ alcohol cabinet.

Rose used the back ladder to climb onto the top of the bus and laid there, the bottle uncapped, looking at the stars. 

“What a night,” Rose breathed. The alcohol softened all of her doubts after leaving the party. She sighed, content.

Then, she heard footfall from beside the bus and leaned over the side to see Dimitri approaching. She grinned.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Rose said.

Dimitri looked up, surprised. “I’d ask why, but I’m not sure I want the answer.”

“Hey, the roof of the bus is very comfortable,” Rose said, nodding vigorously. “Join me.”

Dimitri sighed, but conceded and climbed the ladder. He laid down next to Rose, utterly uncomfortable with the situation.

“Want some?” Rose asked. She held out the dark bottle to Dimitri with a languid smile. The alcohol was already getting to her, a nice buzz settling in over her brain.

“Sure.” Dimitri grabbed the bottle and took a swig, nearly spitting it out. He made a sour face and swallowed. Holding the bottle up to the moonlight, he tried to determine its contents. “What  _ is _ this?”

Rose grinned. “Port from 2005 that Lissa had forgotten she put in the alcohol cabinet.”

They exchanged a glance and burst out laughing. Dimitri nearly dropped the bottle of port off the side of the bus’s rooftop in the fervor. In that moment, he could see Rose as she truly was; that carefree laugh was music to his ears, the way she scrunched her nose as she tried to take in air, her wild brown locks splayed over the silver paint of the bus. 

“She has terrible taste in alcohol,” Dimitri said after taking another drink. He handed it back to Rose.

“What’s wrong, comrade?” Rose teased, shaking the bottle underneath his nose. “Not strong enough for you?"

Dimitri chuckled. “Yes and no. I would never drink dessert wines. Too sweet.”

“Good,” Rose said with conviction. She hugged the bottle close to her. “More for me.”

“Oh no, I won’t let you drink all of that yourself,” Dimitri replied.

He reached over playfully and tried to grab the bottle of port, but Rose put up more of a fight than he had expected. They tussled for a few moments; Rose’s intermittent shrieks of “It’s all mine!” peppered the air until Dimitri pinned her down and took the bottle of port from her possession, placing it on the flat section of the roof. His left knee was between her thighs and his elbow held both of her wrists above her head. The tension between the two of them was palpable.

“You know I could do that move you taught me and this would all be over,” Rose said cheekily.

“No you couldn’t,” Dimitri teased. “I’ve already got you.”

“Like hell,” Rose said, leaning up. “I could still take you, Dimitri Belikov.”

“I’d like to see you try,” he countered, leaning in as well. 

Their faces were so close that his eyes could barely focus anymore. A pause stretched between them.

“Why won’t you do it?” Rose asked him in a voice so small he wondered if he had heard it at all. She knew he was so close that she could just reach up and have him, but she was unsure of what he wanted. “Why won’t you kiss me?”

Dimitri hesitated. He wished he had an answer to her question. He wished he could give her everything she ever wanted, but now was not the time or the place. They had Lissa to protect and feelings got in the way of that. Dimitri gulped.

“Tell me,” Rose said with more force behind her words.

He took in a ragged breath. “I don’t know.”

“What?” He could see Rose’s expression transform from longing to hurt in a way that broke his heart entirely in two.

“I said, I don’t know. I don’t know why.” He stared directly into her eyes, his indecision pulling him in completely different directions.

Rose’s face contorted into a snarl. She pushed him off of her and stood, grabbing the port as she walked to the ladder. “Well, you better figure it out because I’m not going to wait.”

As she hopped off the roof of the bus, she caught him rubbing his jaw pensively out of the corner of her eye. She thought about Adrian and their easy chemistry, she thought about Mason and their witty banter, she thought about Jesse and their past flings.

_ I meant it. I won’t wait for him, no matter what. _


	8. The Scandal

_**Rose's Journal** _

_June 10th_

_I woke up today to a text from Adrian. "Last concert tonight. Hang out?" I had completely forgotten that they'd only be on support for the western leg of the tour, but Adrian was feeling more and more like an afterthought every day. I'd say that I don't know why, but I have a feeling. It's not fair to keep Adrian on the back burner, no matter how much he might love me._

_We'll be arriving in Phoenix soon. Lissa got back to the hotel well enough, but the guy she was hanging with was nowhere in sight. Dimitri looked unkept for the first time this morning. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was sticking up slightly in the back like he hadn't brushed it or maybe he slept in. He's been silent._

_What an asshole._

* * *

"Stop it."

Lissa swatted at Rose as she attempted to take a picture with her phone. The seamstress flitted around Lissa like a fairy.

"Sorry, it's just a very entertaining scene," Rose laughed behind her hand. She put her phone away. "I love when you get fittings."

"Yeah, because you get to sit on the couch." Lissa rolled her eyes. The glittering green dress was held up with pins at every seam. "I'm just sad this one never got finished before we left. I would have loved it for the encore last week."

Rose nodded. She spread out on the couch even further. "It's pretty. I hope you get to keep it and they don't ship it off to the Hard Rock Cafe like they did with your costumes a few tours back."

Lissa sighed in anguish. "That yellow skirt. I lost the yellow skirt."

"When will my costumes return from the war?" Rose said with a wild gesture. They both collapsed into giggles. The seamstress gave Lissa the stink eye.

"No laughing," she said. "It disturbs the pins."

Lissa sobered, but shot Rose a wink.

"So who was that guy you were talking to in Vegas?" Rose said. "I forgot to ask you before I left for the night."

"Oh no one," Lissa said. "He's nice. Pretty to look at, I suppose."

"Are you going to see him again?" Rose waggled her eyebrows.

"Stop it!" Lissa said. "It was just some guy. I don't even know if he was interested in my music."

"Everyone is, Liss," Rose said. "You're famous."

Lissa shrugged. The seamstress swatted at her shoulders.

Mia entered through the main door to the dressing room, her comms unit dangling off of her ear. She nodded at Lissa and Rose in turn. "Hey Rose, Tasha needs you on the main stage to go over security for tonight."

Rose got up off of the couch with much effort. "I'll be seeing you, then. Have fun with the fitting, Liss!"

Lissa waved as Rose exited the room. The seamstress swatted her hand.

The venue in Phoenix was a nice open-air amphitheatre with more seats than Rose could count in her entire life. Places like this were intimidating- even more so when it was full of screaming fans all clamouring for a piece of a pop star. She walked out from the side stage down to the general admission floor where Tasha and the other security guards were gathered.

"Okay, so Team C will take sector four," Tasha said, pointing to a map she'd laid out on a folding card table. "Hey Rose, glad you finally joined us. You'll be with Team A on the side stage."

"Thanks," Rose said quickly. "Where's Dimitri? He usually does the briefing."

"It's his day off," Tasha said.

 _He never takes days off_ , Rose thought. The robot must finally have malfunctioned. _I wonder if I played any part in that. Maybe. Probably._

"Well, I've got to-" Rose stopped mid-thought, distracted for a moment by Adrian who was waving to her from the stage. She patted Tasha on the shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Rose!" Tasha shouted after her. "Godammit, you can't skip out on every meeting!"

But Rose had already made her decision and was climbing the stairs up to the main stage where Adrian and his band were setting up for sound check. He was in rare form today, with a button-down devoid of wrinkles and his hair at least shampooed if not just combed back. He smelled nice. It made Rose feel horrible.

"Little dancer!" Adrian embraced her. "How's it going?"

"Good," Rose said. Her voice felt far away. "Can- can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, wait a second." He turned back to his band mates. "I'll be right back."

"Remember to actually do sound check this time," said the drummer as he placed the cymbal on stage.

"Whatever." Adrian waved them off. He slung an arm around Rose and they walked to a more private corner of the stage. "What's up?"

"This might sound a little weird..." Rose began. She felt a tug in her stomach that nearly made her throw up. She was afraid of what his reaction might be. "How would you feel if we were to, say... break up?"

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

Rose gulped. "I want to break up. This isn't working out anymore. We're always on separate tours and you're leaving tonight for New York again, so I thought this would be best."

He dropped his hands from her shoulder and took a step back, like he'd been shot. "You can't be serious."

"I am." Rose couldn't look him in the eye. "I want to end it."

"This is ridiculous!" Adrian's voice grew louder and louder.

"Keep your voice down," Rose said. She placed her hand lightly on his chest.

"No!" He shouted. He stepped away from Rose's touch. "There's someone else, isn't there? It's that fucking Russian or Zeklos or something! Tell me the truth, Rose."

The rest of Lost Spirits turned to watch them argue. Rose grabbed Adrian's arms in an attempt to calm him down.

"No, no, there's no one else," she said in a low tone. "I just feel like this isn't working out."

Rose glanced at the side stage where she saw Dimitri dressed in civilian clothes picking up a piece of fruit from the catering table. Adrian followed her gaze.

"Oh my God." Adrian pulled Rose's hands off of him. He backed away from her. "Screw you, Rose Hathaway!"

Adrian left the stage and Rose attempted to follow, but the damage was done. Everyone was looking at her or pretending not to be listening for her reaction.

"Shit." She put her head in her hands.

Dimitri walked up next to her, watching Adrian storm off. He offered her a piece of cantaloupe. "Fruit?"

Rose looked at the cantaloupe with surprise and took it, biting into it angrily. She was fuming. "Thanks."

"He doesn't deserve you, you know," Dimitri said.

Rose looked up at him, not even trying to argue this time. "Then who does?"

Dimitri was thrown for a loop. He hesitated just long enough that Rose walked away, disappearing into the dressing room.

* * *

**_Rose's Journal_ **

_June 11th_

_The concert last night was the worst one I'd ever worked. Adrian was all over the place in his set; they had to carry him off at the end. I think he was crying, but I couldn't tell. He was obviously drunk, possibly high, I don't really know what he does in his time off these days. He hates me now, I'm sure of it._

_I feel bad breathing a sigh of relief now that he isn't on tour with us anymore. Someone new is joining us, an up-and-coming girl performer that Lissa hung out with at the IMAs last year. She writes her own songs and other than being a little too into wearing black, she's alright. Let's hope this part of the tour goes better than the last._

* * *

The backstage area was smoky when Lissa exited her dressing room, Rose by her side. They were at a festival that had made Lissa one of the headliners, so the various stages around the grounds were little more than glorified tents, but it was June and the weather was nice, so no one was complaining. It did make having tight security difficult, though.

"Sage!" Lissa waved across the backstage area to a girl sitting on one of the couches in the green room. The girl stood and made her way over to them. "Rose, you've met Sage before, right?"

Sage was shorter than you'd expect, but she managed to gain it back with chunky platforms and a piercing presence. She had impossibly dark eyes, her hair twisted up into an elaborate bun that no doubt had all the hairspray in the universe on it, and lipstick so dark it looked black. Her navy blue dress swung side-to-side as she walked, dusting the floor with a light spray of glitter.

"Of course!" Sage broke into a smile. She grabbed Rose for a hug. "How are you?"

"Good," Rose managed to say. "Ready for your concert tonight?"

"Yeah! I'm so excited to be on tour!" Sage's cheerful demeanor contrasted with the severe style she was wearing. "It's going to be super fun!"

Someone caught Lissa's eye out of Rose's sight and she waved. Rose turned and saw a flash of brown hair, but wasn't sure who it was.

"I'll see you two later, okay?" Lissa said. She touched Sage's arm lightly. "Have fun tonight!"

"Bye!" Sage and Rose waved at Lissa as she disappeared into the crowd.

Rose tried to catch a glimpse of they guy she was walking off with, but he didn't show his face. She knew Lissa wouldn't leave the backstage area since she needed to be on in half an hour, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was up.

A security guard came up to Sage and spoke something in her ear.

"Well, that's my cue!" she said, pulling Rose in for another hug. "If I don't see you, have a great time at the festival!"

Sage started her gig. Lissa returned ten minutes later with a smile on her face, but no indication as to where she'd been. Rose finally relaxed.

* * *

"Want some?"

Mason and Eddie leaned over Rose as she lounged in the grass by the main stage, cotton candy in hand. Lissa's gig was over and she was taking some time to chill. If you couldn't do that at a festival, what could you do?

"Gimme." She reached up and pulled a chunk of the blue, fluffy candy off of the stick in Mason's hand. "Delicious. Are you two off for the night?"

They both sat down on the grass next to her.

"Nope," Eddie said. "I'm just on a break before I have to pack everything back into the bus."

"And i've earned the night off after being hit in the head with a bottle by a fan." Mason leaned forward to show Rose a growing bruise by his hairline.

"Ouch." Rose grimaced. "Have fun otherwise?"

"Yeah," Mason said. "Lissa was on fire. The best gig yet. It's probably why a ton of people decided to go ballistic."

" _Rose_."

The voice came through her comm and she fumbled for it, pressing the button on the side.

"Go for Rose," she said.

" _We need you on the south end of the grounds, by the tents. There's a huge crowd of paparazzi forming._ "

"On it," she said. Rose jumped up from where she was sitting and held her hands out to Eddie and Mason. "There's a scuffle I need to get to. See you boys later."

"I miss out on all of the good stuff," Mason said with an exaggerated lower lip.

"Sorry, babe," Rose said. She began walking away. "They only called for me. Have fun out there!"

"Don't kill anyone!" Eddie waved after her.

"I can't make any promises!" Rose jogged towards where the tour coordinator told her the paparazzi were congregating and heard them exchanging a name with each other. She slowed down and sidled up next to one of the paps. "Hey, what's going on in there?"

The paparazzi popped his gum and looked at her. "Someone said Lissa Dragomir went in there with someone, but it's a private tent; we can't go in."

"Thanks," Rose said, processing the information. She walked up to the side of the tent and slipped in without being seen.

The two people inside split apart quickly with a gasp. It was Lissa and, judging by the back of his head, the boy from Vegas. Her lipstick was smeared over his mouth and neck. She self-consciously smoothed down her hair.

"Rose!" Lissa said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told to break up a squad of paps who have this tent surrounded," Rose said, her confusion turning into anger. "You're never this careless; what's going on?"

Suddenly, Tasha and Dimitri both entered the tent, out of breath.

"We came as soon as we heard," Tasha said to Rose. "What's- _Christian_?"

The boy from Vegas and Tasha locked eyes. He was shocked into silence.

"What?" Rose looked between them. "You know him?"

Tasha walked towards him and pulled him by the collar of his shirt to his feet. "He's my nephew. And he shouldn't be in here."

"Oh my god, are all of your related?" Rose asked, exasperated. "Someone's going to need to draw me a flow chart for all of this shit."

"Miss Dragomir," Dimitri said. He returned to his stoicism, which seemed to be his answer in every stressful situation. "You must leave. Now. We cannot have the press finding out about this."

"What were you _thinking_?" Tasha scolded Christian. "Kissing Lissa Dragomir? If anyone found out-"

"No one is going to," Christian said. "Nice to see you too, by the way."

"Nothing was going on," Lissa said. "It really isn't that big of a deal!"

"Can someone _please_ tell me what's happening?" Rose asked in the middle of the melee.

Everyone went silent. Tasha's hand was still close to wringing Christian's neck.

"Young Mr. Ozera is the son of Lucas and Moira Ozera," Dimitri said.

"Wait, the same Ozeras that own the label that turns its artists into pop sellouts?" Rose asked. The implications dawned on her.

"Strigoi Records," Dimitri confirmed.

Rose sunk down onto the couch Lissa was sitting on. "Oh Liss. Oh no."

"It's not like that," Lissa said to Rose.

"They've been trying to capture you for _years_ ," Rose said. "They sabotaged everything last tour."

"You have to believe me!" Lissa said. "He's different!"

"They won't see it that way," Rose pointed to the door of the tent, where outside the paparazzi lay in wait like hungry lions.

"You need to leave," Tasha said to Christian. "Before anyone catches wind of this. Go around the back."

Lissa grabbed Christian's hand. "No, I know a better way out. Let's go."

"Not together!" Rose said. "Are you guys both idiots?"

"He needs as much protection as I do, Rose." Lissa's words were sharp. "We're going together."

Rose looked to Dimitri for support, but he didn't provide any.

"Form a triangle around them in case of paparazzi," Dimitri said. "Rose and I in front, Tasha in the back. Heads down."

Rose bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood. This was ridiculous; Christian was only a boy, a fling. The press would have a field day if they knew that Lissa Dragomir was dating again, much less the son of the rival record company. Rose could see the headlines now.

Her father was going to kill her.

They all exited the tent out the opposite side and the coast was fairly clear. The paparazzi out front still believed that they were inside, but as they were rounding the corner by one of the smaller stages a few yards off, someone caught a glimpse of them.

"Look! It's Lissa Dragomir!"

A swarm of people descended on them. Lissa's eyes grew wide and Rose readied herself for Lissa to grab her hand, but it never came. Rose glanced behind her and saw that she was clutching Christian's instead. Something broke loose inside Rose.

"Lissa! Over here!" A pap shoved his camera over Rose's shoulder and in Lissa's face. A flash went off.

Her father was definitely going to kill her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sage is based on my beta, Sage Meryllis Banks, and not Sydney (who will be coming in towards the tail end of the story) so don't worry. I didn't Lorde-ify Sydney Sage just yet. Next chapter will include some press backlash and a bit of unexpected reconciliation because Dimitri can never really hold a grudge for long. Stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Any questions or suggestions can be directed to the comments or in a PM. Have a lovely day, guys!


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